The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

Kioko watched in despair as the ball of fire fell short of its mark, not even getting close enough to singe the dark haired girl. She didn't bother with a response, concentrating all her effort on trying to breath through the extra weight being put upon her chest. Hoping desperately that whoever had come to rescue them would find her soon.

The sudden increase of pressure on her arm made the albino scream out in pain, and tears began to leak from her eyes when the bone began to crack. Kioko's scream dissolved into harsh sobbing, and she turned her face away from the other girl. After a moment, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I don't care what Ava or any of the rest of you want," the pyro told her, lifting her head just enough to look Penelope in the eye. "Because, once my friends are out of here, I'm burning this entire place to ash."

-----

Ava had begun smiling in a rather unbalanced way as Paul dug his fingers into Maya's face. It was always nice when they managed to find some common ground. Leaning in, the scientist hissed quietly, "Trying to be noble will only cause you more pain. I'd advise just letting go of all your delusions of being saved, dear." She spat the last word like it was something rotten, features twisting unpleasently. The scientist had been about to continue slicing up the blonde's pretty face when the newly arrived Dravius kicked her, sending the silver haired woman to the floor YET AGAIN.

After the first few moments of stunned pain (because the co-master had NOT been gentle when he decided to practice his mule impression on her), Ava turned her head slowly to the black haired man, the rage in her eyes having escalated to full blown madness. The scientist pushed herself up from the ground, gaze never leaving Dravius. "You should listen to Paul," she said in a flat, eerily calm voice. "Being a test subject would have extended you life span considerably, you know. As an experiment, you're useful to me. I have an interest in keeping you and your companions alive for as long as possible." The scientist had been shuffling forward as she spoke, stopping in front of Maya.

"But, now you're all just people who've pissed me off." Suddenly, Ava lashed out with the hand holding the scalpel, stabbing the blonde woman low in the stomach. Although the wound was shallow, blood quickly began spreading downward, staining the bottom of the block shirt and turning the waist of Maya's shorts dark red. "AND THE PEOPLE WHO PISS ME OFF JUST END UP AS CORPSES," Ava shrieked, brandishing the bloody scalpel at Dravius. She lunged forward, swinging the blade at the co-master.

-----

Selvai had, up till that point, been hanging back as Dravius rushed the two people holding Maya, partly because of the fact that so much magic in so short a time had left him nearly exhausted, but mostly out of fear of getting Lionel caught in the crossfire of the fight. However, as the obviously deranged woman with the silver hair suddenly and viciously stabbed Maya, the magician ran forward with a startled "No!," extending his free hand and tossing the scientist backwards a few feet.

Angling his body to keep a now crying Leo turned away from the fight, he concentrated, swaying a little with the effort as he used his magic to keep the woman pinned to the floor. "Dravius, hurry," he gritted out. Already the spell was beginning to slip, allowing Ava to struggle toward her dropped scalpel. "I will not be able to keep this up much longer," he gasped out.

Kanec was content to see just how much blood this creature had when suddenly, there was nothing under his claws nor between his jaws. As he snapped his teeth closed with finality, he flailed slightly at the sudden force wrapped around him. He was considering shifting into a smaller creature to escape, when Raphael intervened and Fang was rather promptly removed. Turning around, Kanec hissed, nodding thanks to Raphael before returning his attention to Fang. As the snake disappeared into the ground, he took half a step back, glancing around. He barely caught the emerging snake out of the corner of his eye, and swiftly shifted into a raven, flying up and away from the shadow beast.

~~

Nylat followed, but hesitated at leaving the pups alone. This had happened while she was with them. What would happen if they were alone? But she trusted her mate, and so she set Tylia down beside her brother. Hopefully no one would come by and take advantage of them being unattended. She bounded after her Zyano, her steps a slight bit more hesitant than his. As she skidded to a stop next to Zyano, she growled at the girl who was obviously harming the pyro, the sound escalating into a hiss at the girl's scream. She laid her ears back, torn between wanting to help her friend and being hesitant about what the tormentor could do.

((WOAH, WOAH, WOAH.))

Oh, great.

This guy was completely insane. Not that Maya hadn't realised that already. The obvious enjoyment this man seemed to get out of making people bleed was unreal, and his manic, almost drugged appearance was starting to scare the blonde just a lot. She had already been fearful enough as it was.

The male's increase in pressure against her jaw caused the butterfly to whimper as the sudden return of pain almost seemed to jolt into her system, the sensation stretching to her neck. She continued to futilely struggle against Ava's grip, again attempting to get her face as far away from Paul as she could manage. She really wasn't getting anywhere with it, however, an eventually just gave up in the hopes that the split haired crazy would back off a little.

Doubtful, probably. Exhaling slowly, the blonde tried desperately to turn her gaze elsewhere, when a dark moving shape caught her attention,; And she focused her gaze only to realise that Dravius was striding down the hall. It took her a second or two to register his presence, before her very brief and powerful sense of relief was suddenly overrun with concern and increasing worry.

What was that idiot doing!?... He stood no chance!... He had already been poisoned by the silver haired scientist, only saved because she chose to gave him the antidote; Only to get placed in mortal anger again when Paul had almost bled him to death. And now he wanted to go up against the both of them?!... He was being stupid!

Maya, suddenly frightened for the Co-Master's sake, began to renew her struggles against Ava, only to be cut off when the scientist went flying across the floor. Okay. So Dravius managed to get in one hit... That meant nothing. It couldn't... Gently touching the bleeding cut on her jaw, Maya turned her gaze to Dravius, eyes wide, watching Paul's insane reaction. It prevented her saying anything to the Co-Master, and she could only really watch; Terrified that the split haired male would do something drastic.

As a result of her overlying concern for her boyfriend, she completely missed Ava until she caught the words of the scientist, her tone sounding absoloutely manic. She barely managed to catch the silver woman's blatantly obvious danger signs before the woman jumped forward. Maya wasn't really sure what happened next.

She shouted in pain only once, before the numbness kicked in. Probably more out of shock, than anything. The blonde lost track of Ava at that point, instead turning her gaze to the sudden warmth on her stomach. There was a dull, throbbing pain there, though she barely noticed that either as she pulled her hands away from the dark, wet cloth she wore. Her trembling, which had not subsided, did nothing to help the image of red on her hands. The blonde's back was still firmly pressed against the wall, and as her legs gave way, she slid down it; folding herself over her stomach slightly when she was sat, one arm covering the heavily bleeding area.

Her expression was strangely uncomprehending, as the blonde watched the red seep into the clean white of the shorts she wore, vaugely hearing Selvai's voice somewhere down the corridor; Blood dripping lightly onto the once clean, bright white tiles.

((I'LL EDIT THIS LATER.))

Paul's screeching had caused him to become lightheaded, but the average volume level was once again maintained by Ava. Paul flinched slightly, his shoulders hunching. Usually when Ava was yelling it was directed at him, so the sheepish posture was more muscle memory than anything. Straightening his shoulders and clearing his throat, Paul turned his head to see the bright fabric over Maya's abdomen turning dark, and his hand relaxed slightly, the knife clattering to the ground.

His eyes stretched wide, and he promptly shrieked, "YOU COW! WHAT A WASTE FIX HER." Paul rushed over to Maya, having bent to grab his knife. The blood was beginning to puddle on the floor and he hadn't gotten ANY of it. Wow Ava, way to be a huge bitch. Paul cut Maya's shirt off of her and wadded it up to apply pressure to her cut, yanking her down into a sitting position first.

"STOP BLEEDING EVERYWHERE YOU WHORE. IT'S ALL OVER THE FLOOR, AND NOW I CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH IT." Paull screeched, pressing harder as blood began to seep into the cloth. "YOU ARE SUCH A WASTE OF AIR WHY AM I TRYING TO SAVE YOU." Once the bitch's heart stopped beating, blood didn't hardly flow at all. There was no way to collect barely any of this, and if the winged woman died, it would ALL. GO. TO WASTE.

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

Dravius had let out a sharp gasp as Ava sank her small blade into Maya, standing stunned as the half-deranged scientist whirled towards him, dancing backwards as the blade surged towards him. As she was suddenly flung to the side, the young man's eyes went wide for a moment, then turned his head to the magician for a brief amount of time.

"A-alright." Dravius shook his head to clear it, then reared his leg back and slammed his foot into Ava's face with a grunt, hearing a nose fracture as he did. He then whirled to assess the damage done to his girlfriend, only to see Paul hunched over her, oddly, trying to stop the bleeding. The other man had begun screaming, and continued to do so, until Dravius hauled him up by the scruff of his neck and hurled him bodily into the far wall of the hallway.

Paul hit the concrete with a yelp, and slid down with a very small degree of consciousness. Dravius then bent over Maya and reapplied pressure, bringing his face close to hers and saying, "You'll be fine, I promise. I promise." He gave her a kiss on her forehead and pulled the cloth away relieved to see that it was shallow, but rather long. "Huh. Guess now we'll match a little bit, huh?" He smiled weakly, reapplying pressure.

Fang's aim had been perfect. But the man's peculiar ability meant that his shape-change threw a spanner in the works, and the giant black cobra hissed in aggrivation as Kanec flew off in the form of a bird. Fang, momentum carrying him upwards, disappeared through the ceiling, re-appearing through one wall and hissing angrily as he uncoiled his long, slithering body onto the white floor. He was going to have to do something more drastic to catch that one off guard.

Hissing again, he watched with distracted interest as the Shifter flapped around in his raven form; His own shadowy form melting away, leavving the tall dark haired male in his human state. His usually emotionless eyes were blazing, and blood creeped from his nose and arms, marks of the two men in front of him. Still hissing slightly, the dakr haired male delibrately pulled of his trench coat, revealing his peculiar, tattoed neck. His lips were wide, and between them were a number of long, incredibly sharp looking fangs. The shirt he wore was sleeveless, also black, and his arms were absoloutely covered in the same, tribal like tattoos that resided on his neck.

Lifting a hand, he growled, as, suddenly, vines of a shadow like substance shot from around the dark man's feet, the shadow focused there like a large black pool. The black vines moved incredibly fast, and Raphael barely just managed to get himself out of the way of one of those shadowy points before it pierced his arm; It's original aim chest bound.

The blonde Ring-Master grunted with pain; Before he retaliated with a similar move, holding his good hand over the hole in his arm; The tiles around him melting into white, whip-like weapons that crashed against the stark black shadows of Fang's will. There seemed to be no space between the two men, the area occupied entirely bu black and white vines.

Fang, although aiming his attack at Raphael, had not at all missed Kanec, and many of the very same black vines shot out of the floors andd walls to shoot directly at the flying bird. One particular vine, shot directly out of the ceiling, it's pointed aim directed towards the raven.

~~~

Penelope had been rather enjoying tormenting her little friend down here; Despite the fact she was sure to restraining herself from letting the albino bleed. No doubt Paul would have something to say about that... Something negative probably, and slightly manic.

Snorting quietly at the white haired girl's words, Pen simply looked at her, no trace of amusement on her features. "I never really liked this place anyway." She said blithely, peculiarly lifting the pressure on Kioko's arm. She did, however, keep enough gravity in play to keep the older girl pinned. She seemed to regard the white haired girl for a moment, then shrugged. Her attention then, was brought onto the wolf that had suddenly come out of nowhere, lips back, a snarl in his throat.

Penelope tilted her head slightly, her expression slightly curious. "David failed then." She said, as though the fact didn't entirely surprise her; Her eyes still focused on the giant, sand furred hybrid when Nylat strolled up. The girl glanced fleetingly at the smaller of the two once she'd had enough of looking at Zyano.

"Come any closer, you'll end up on the floor like your friend here." She said, pointing at Kioko.

Zyano growled again.

"Temper." Penelope responded. "But I'm really not in the mood to fight. I'm just keeping an eye on Ava's property. Ava gets terribly angry if she doesn't get her way, or loses a valuable subject." The girl paused, then started walking forward, one slow step at a time. Zyano, almost instinctively, started to step away, keeping himself out of the girl's range of power.

Penelope stopped, then sighed. "This is boring." She said suddenly. "But Ava would be terribly mad if I killed you without permission." She sighed again, then focused her gaze back on Kioko. "I guess we'll just have to wait." She murmered, suddenly increasing the strength of gravity focused on the white haired girl; Enough to keep her completely plastered to the floor, and most likely restricting the girl's breathing somewhat. Penelope really didn't like waiting.

~~~

Maya had barely had time to register what had happened to her before Paul's screeching voice caught her somewhat devided attention. She couldn't fail to notice him however when he approached, still shouting and just generally throwing a tantrum.

The blonde made a peculiar, fearful noise in the back of her throat as she tried to shuffle herself away from this guy, trying at the same time to not aggravate her injury. Now that the shock was slowly beginning to waver, Maya was beginning to notice the very obvious throb of pain in her stomach, joined by the sting in her jaw, and the ache in her wing.

She flailed weakly against the split haired male's sudden move to remove her shirt, not being quite shocked enough to fail to realise that, and she muttered a quiet, pleading "Dravius," under her breath as she struggled against the maniac. She pause only to watch Paul press her now ruined shirt against the gash in her abdomen, slightly confused and incredibly hesitant to move. She was afraid of pushing this guy over the edge, and considering his close proximity, it was a scary possibility. It was like being in striking distance of an annoyed, and very venomous snake.

She whimpered as he continued to shout, trying to ignore the blood around her and calm her still shaking body. She flinched visibly when Paul was suddenly jerked off the floor, only to end up on the other side of the corridor with his face against the wall.

Maya stared at him, then turned her face to look at Dravius, her slight sense of relief returning at the sight of him. She could only take his word for it, really... She had little experience in knowing how severe an injury was, so she simply settled with nodding at him; Smiling weakly at his following comment. "Oh... Gee. Thanks..." She mumbled, letting her head drop forward onto the Co-Masters shoulder. She was still very much concerned about the Co-Master's previous state, though couldn't quite get the words out of her mouth to ask if he was okay, she was focusing more on her breathing. She was, by this point, really starting to feel the pain, and on top of that, it was pretty cold without a shirt. And she was tired all of a sudden. And nnn.

The blonde mumbled somewhat, wrapping her bloodied arms around herself as much as she was able, trying to get some sort of cover for herself. Not so much because of Dravius, but rather that there were other people in this corridor; Before glancing over the Co-Master's shoulder at the half conscious Paul, and Ava... Her trembling hadn't subsided, and she desperately just wished to hold on to Dravius for a little bit. Her stomach really was hurting. A lot.

Ava screamed in frustration from where she was pinned to the floor, scalpel just a few inches out of reach. "DAMNIT PAUL FOCUS!" the silver haired woman ordered, desperately twisting toward the balde. This situation was quickly spiraling out of their control, and the scientist was growing more irrational in her efforts to deal with the escaped research subjects. "YOU'RE ALL DEAD! I'M GOING TO GUT YOU AND LEAVE YOU IN THE WOODS FOR THE ANIMALS." Ava raved, fingers brushing against the handle of the knife. She hadn't been paying attention to Dravius, and so didn't notice the co-master getting closer, until the vicious kick which succeeding in both breaking the woman's nose and knocking her unconscious.

Seeing as Ava was now dealt with, Selvai released the spell that had been holding her, slumping against the wall momentarily. The magician flinched when Dravius tossed Paul across the hallway, resulting in the split haired man landing on the same side of the hallway as him. He hurried over to Maya and Dravius, trying to shush Lionel and keeping the little boy from seeing the wound Ava had inflicted on the blonde. "How badly is she injured?" Selvai asked, making sure to keep an eye on Paul. He kneeled beside the two of them, trying to smile reassuringly at Maya. "We no longer need to worry about the female scientist, at least for now. Maya, do you think you will be able to walk, or do you need to be carried? We should take advantage and search for the others while we can," the magician suggested gently.

Nylat paced at a safe distance from the girl, skittering backwards when she advanced. Okay, maybe she was just a bit on edge. At her words, Nylat growled. They'd be waiting a very long while, seeing as everyone else was obviously occupied. Idly, she wondered exactly who had come. Kanec for sure, and no doubt Raphael. And either of them would be able to handle this situation. Of course, neither were currently around. So she sat. "Zyano." She hissed. "We need to handle this." It was a blatantly obvious statemeny, but she hoped her mate would catch the underlying question of 'how?'.

~~

Kanec hovered, unsure of what Fang was doing now. Surely he was aware that being a human was not as advantageous as being some giant shadow beast? But he didn't for a second doubt the man's abilities. And as soon as he saw the shadowy spire aimed at Raphael, he decided it was time to get the heck out of dodge, and shifted into a rat. Just in time to avoid becoming a shifter-kabob. However, not quickly enough to completely avoid the attack; it pierced his leg just above the knee. Hitting the floor with a soft squeak, he glanced back, sniffing at his bleeding wound before starting down the hallway, shifting between snakes and various small forms that flew, hoping that Raphael would keep Fang occupied long enough for him to get close. He wanted this done with.

Dravius glanced up throgugh his tangled hair at Maya as she spoke, more than a little relieved that she felt well enough to poke fun at him. He let out a shaky chuckle and took an even shakier breath through his nose, running one bloody hand through his hair. The young man was more than a little dismayed at Maya's shivering, and watched her curl up with a look of apprehension. At Selvai's question, the man decided to just carry Maya anyway, exhaling softly. Collecting his feet under him, Dravius gently slid one arm under her knees and another under her shoulder, and lifted her, brushing a lock of hair away from her face.

Sighing, Dravius turned to Selvai and tried his hardest to wrap himself more around the woman in his arms. He probably wasn't lending much warmth to Mayanna, on account of his usually cool skin, but it was worth it to try it. "I think she'll be fine, as of right now, at least." He shrugged slightly, then added, "It'll be an issue, unless you can do something. She lost quite a bit of blood, but nothing's too deep that it won't scab up." He looked exhausted, skin inflamed around small cuts decorating his torso, courtesy of the maniac currently moaning softly near the opposite wall. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and the hems of his white pants were soaked in blood, holes from Nylat's teeth ringed in red and still oozing slowly.

After exerting himself even that litle bit, Dravius felt as if he was about to fall over, his head more than a little light. His already pale skin was pallid where not streaked with either his blood or Maya's, in various states of drying and cracking into a formation that looked a little bit like too-dry mud. The red was thick around the gash on his shoulder that no longer existed, and long trails from his fingers, including a complete handprint that was much too small to be his, and too large to be from Maya. The handprint, logically from Paul, rested on the muscles adjacent to his shoulder blades.

"We should try and help out....unless you want to try and cut out and stash these two someplace outside. I can't find a way out for the life of me, so I really hope you remember the way you came in." He trailed off, twitching a muscle in his cheek to try and counteract the itching of dried plasma. "Or we could...I don't know." Dravius suddenly seemed quite despairing, his eyebrows furrowing. "I.....God I'm bad at anything involving planning."

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

Paul had lain by the wall a while, his entire world flickering black spots and a ringing deep in his ears. Any buzz from any sort of blood had left the building the minute he hit the wall. A huge bruise was already blooming over one eye, and he groaned softly, lying on his side. Gingerly pushing himself into a sitting postion, the young man rubbed the sore spot on his head, swaying as he sat.

"I think.....I think you should all just leave. Stupid dumbfaces." Paul groaned. He was done with these people. They were FAR more trouble than they were worth. He could just buy someone and kill them. Hell to this. "Goddamn, I'll even show you the stupid way out." Staggering sightly, the beaten up man leaned heavily against the wall, a feeling of nausea overtaking him.

"God, just collect everyone else and LEAVE." Paul waved a hand weakly, holding a hand to his head. "Even I'm beginning to lose my stomach, for pity's sake." He did indeed feel like the bottom of that particular organ had dropped out, and his jeans were ripped beyond repair. They. Were. Designer. If he had any energy, he would be furious. But at this point, he was just tired. He began combing the blood out of his hair with his fingers, wincing slightly whenever a hair came out of his head as a result. Just leave. Going back to his room and sitting in the dark sounded really nice right now.

Penelope had remained where she stood, doing nothing to threaten or tease the girl under the influence of her ability, or the two anxious hybrids pacing at the other end of the hall. The dark haired, dark eyed girl was only a doing a job. That was it. She wasn't prompted by ambition like Ava... Or by the enjoyment of pain like Paul. It was simply a case of doing what she was told.

The girl sighed, then looked over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps. A scientist, rushing around for unknown reason, stopped to look at the girl and her victim; His eyes widening. He quickly strolled over to Pen, speaking quickly and animatedly, before throwing a glance at Kioko and the hybrids, then fleeing in the opposite direction.

Penelope, quiet for a moment, eventually turned her gaze back to the beings in the hallway with her. She didn't say much of anything, but, peculiarly, she pulled her ability away from Kioko, focusing it in a smaller circle around herself. "It seems you've all got lucky." She said quietly, turning on her heel and promptly walking away from the group.

Well, well... Ava had been beaten, huh. And Paul too... Well. Who knew?

Zyano, momentarily stunned by the girl's sudden departure, had almost bounded after her, fangs bared. The cracks around the girl ,however, suggested that her ability was still in effect, probably for protection for herself, and the giant hybrid had to exercise a good amount of will to stop himself chasing after her. He inhaled slowly, then looked at Nylat. "Go and get the pups." He said quietly, giving his mate a quick lick on the muzzle, before padding over to Kioko.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sniffling around. "Are you seriously hurt?... Can you walk?"

~~~

The battle between Fang and Raphael had continued, the vines stil striking with surprising force as each male fought to hold his own ground. Raphael earned a few extra scratches during this exchange, as did the dark eyed Fang. Both, however, fought with a viciousness that cracked the tiles of the walls and floors that surrounded them.

It was only when Penelope invaded his thoughts that the tall dark haired male finally cut off his attack in favour for a more defensive move. He effectively cut off Raphael's attack before the blonde and he stared at each other for a few moments; The Ring-Master mentally preparing himself for another onslaught.

The shattered hallway resonated with a loud silence; Fang glancing only fleetingly at the rat that was Kanec before looking over his shoulder. It looked almost as though he was listening for something, before he promptly hissed in Raphael's and the shifter;s direction. Without any further offensive, Fang was engulfed promptly in shadow, before the darkness melted into the floor and he shot from the hallway, flitting quickly around the corner.

The blonde Ring-Master blinked, then strolled forward, leaning over only to retrieve Kanec. "Well that was unusual." He said, placing the rat on his shoulder and glancing quickly at the broken hallway. "I wonder what happened."

The blonde exhaled, then headed off down the corridor, following after Fang;s retreating shadow.

~~~

It seemed to take an awful lot of effort, Maya thought, to keep one's body as still as they were able. The injury she'd sustained had initially just been there for show, up until the point the pain kicked in. She had remained sat, arms around herself, only moving when Selvai approached. The blonde was still rather conscious of the fact that her shirt had been removed, and she made a small, pained noise in the back of her throat as she shifted.

It took the butterfly winged young woman a while to even make sense of the magician's question, and before she even managed to form an answer, Dravius had quite literally lifted her off the floor. Her face quite visibly paled somewhat, and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself crying out in pain at the sudden move. Her arms remained firmly over her stomach, and she automatically, it seemed, curled herself against Dravius a little more at the slight change in temperature, and the tall male's own movements. The Co-Masters cool skin was a huge improvement to the icy floor tiles. Not quite enough to keep her comfortably warm, but enough anyway. Besides... She was still far more focused on the throb in her torso, and right now, she could barely focus on anything other than that.

The conversation between the magician and Dravius went almost unnoticed, as the blonde kept her eyes on her bloodied arms distractedly, her head resting against the tall male's shoulder. She even failed to notice Dravius' still weakened state, although she did note his slashed chest with some degree of alarm. No doubt she would have acted accordingly had she felt she had the energy to do so.

Instead, she exhaled quietly, her eyes closing and her breathing even. Her wings, both held as close to her back as they were able, shook slightly with the young woman's disposition; And the trickle of blood had slowed consideribly from her injured wing. Sighing quietly, the blonde opened her eyes again, focusing on the large amount of red, although she still kept herself aware of the voices around her, if only slightly.

It was around then Raphael stepped around the corner in the corridor, having followed the general direction of the fleeing Ava. He stopped, his gaze picking up every detail in the hallway, and he strode quickly up to the Co-Master and Selvai.

"Are you all all right?" He asked sharply, concerned eyes focusing immediately on the listless Maya. The sheer amount of blood gave the Ring-Master a cold feeling, ad his worry was obvious on his features. He had been very close to asking what had happened, although he had seemed to slot most of it into place with one glance of the hallway. He had, moreover, arrived just in time to catch the last few sentences between the two men.

He seriously doubted Selvai had the energy to take them all back, considering the effort it had taken for them all to get here, which meant they were going to need to find another way. "We'll drive back to the Circus." He told the magician. "But first, we need to get these injuries seen to. I doubt she can really endure a three hour ride. And we don't know the condition of the others." He threw another worried glance at Dravius and Maya. He didn't wish to leave them unattended too long. "I'm sure we can find a medical kit someplace in here. You can deal with the injuries, right?" The blonde asked of the Co-Master.

He then turned his gaze to Paul, eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't bother to respond to the man's words. Instead, he simply looked back at the others there, before he turned on his heel and headed back down the corridor. "You don't know where they took Nylat and Kioko, do you, Dravius?... This place is pretty big."

((Had to rush this thing. D8))

Kanec watched Fang closely until he was gone, keeping his weight off of his injured leg. Well. That was odd. When Raphael picked him up, he nodded. "Unusual is an understatement." As he sat on the illusionist's shoulder, he lifted his injured foot up, the action hurting almost as much as putting his weight on it would. "Are you alright?" He gestured with his snout to his arm. At the sight of Maya, Selvai, and Dravius--as well as the surrounding hallway--he shifted into a king cobra, hissing and draping himself over Raphael's shoulders. He flared his hood and bared his fangs, glancing both at Ava and the up-and-about Paul. There was so much blood around...and Maya's current state made him all the more anxious to kill the two. Just...one bite.

~~

Nylat watched the approaching scientist carefully, suspicious as the girl just...walked away. Why...do that? She shrugged to herself, and when Zyano told her to go get the pups, she was already moving. It was not hard to get back to the room, and she nosed them lightly. They cried at being left alone, quieting somewhat at their mother's presence. She picked them both ip by the scruffs, and trotted back to her mate and Kioko, the pups protesting the constant moving around. She set them down, laying down beside Kioko, whining softly.

Paul had been leaning heaviy against the wall, continuing to pick the slivers of dried blood out of his hair. The intense feeling of nausea was beginning to ebb away, and the young man cleared his throat, satisfied with the small amount of blood now left in his mop of hair. Sighing gently, he had a startled look on his face when more people rounded the corner. The people here apparently knew when to quit. He bet they didn't get tossed against the wall.

A slight pout was on his lips as he put his back against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position. Sadly, Paul fingered the tears in his pants, silently hoping that the designer was even still making them. My god, what if they WEREN'T. Paul's face was full of disappointment, then tilted his head at the blonde man's question.

"Mmm, there's medical stuff everywhere." He shrugged, flicking a hand at the listless woman. "On walls an stuff." Paul didn't say it loudly enough to intrude, but struggled to his feet regardless, managing to not use the wall's assistance. At Raphael's second question, Paul spoke up, "I know where she is. I just don't want to deal with any of you anymore. Penny probably had her, but if Fang split, so did she." He shrugged, then pointed down a hallway.

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

Dravius had been studying Maya's drawn face, and still slightly bleeding abdomen. "You're gonna be fine, May." At Raphael's appearance, Dravius did his best to offer a thin smile, crooked and drawn. "I'm fine, but both of us are more than a little beat up. May lost a little bit of her wing..." He sighed"You brought a car?" The Co-Master tilted his head to the side, more than a little relieved at the news. He was envisioning a trip back by Selvai's stomach-churning teleportation.

When Paul spoke up in regards to medicla supplies, Dravius shot a withering glare at the man. His change in attitude was unsettling. He seemed exasperated with the whole thing. "I can fix her up, no problem. It's not too bad, but she lost a lot of blood. She just needs some rest." His pale was assumed a slightly worried expression, his dark brows knit together. The roots of his dark hair were light, a white colour showing at the top of his head.

When Paul decided to offer up something else, Dravius turned his body towards him gently, then glanced at Selvai and Raphael. He was unsure what to do at this point, because the ache to get out of here was nearly overpowering his extreme distrust of the exhausted looking man leaning gently against the wall.

Kioko cautiously pushed herself up from the floor, staring in confusion at the retreating Penelope. Not that she'd been looking forward to a fight. But she hadn't expected them to just be set free, either. The white haired girl drew her injured arm into her lap, gingerly rubbing at it and wincing. It didn't feel as though anything had broken, although it was still throbbing rather painfully. When Zyano padded over, she swiped her free hand over her eyes before replying to the hybrids questions.

"I don't need stitches or anything. Probably. Maybe a few bandages." The pyro gently pulled her shirt away from where it had stuck to the wound on her collarbone, grimacing. "My arm, though, I think I need someone to look at it. It's still hurting pretty badly. I can walk, she didn't try to crush either of my legs." Letting go of her shirt, Kioko leaned forward just enough to slide her arm around Zyano, hiding her face in the hybrid's neck ruff. "What about you and Nylat? Are both of you alright? And the pups, they're okay?"

When Ny returned with both pups, Kioko let go of Zyano, visibly relieved. She smiled shakily at the female hybrid, carefully running her fingers through Ny's fur, then Tylia and Kylain's. "If you're both ready, how about we find everyone else and leave?"

-----

The magician shifted Lionel in his arms, trying to fight his exhaustion and get a better hold on the child. When Dravius mentioned Maya's wounds, he glanced at the incapacitated Ava and Paul. "I can try and use magic to close her wound, although I cannot guarantee I will be in any shape to walk afterward. I have used my magic quite a bit more than I am used to today," he said apologetically.

He shook his head. "No time to bother with hiding them. Let's just find the others, then decide on a plan," Selvai told him. When the battered man spoke up, he watched Paul with a heavy dose of suspiscion as the split haired man told them to leave, even going so far as to offer to show them the way out. He looked back at Dravius with a raised eyebrow. Selvai was about to ask the co-master whether he wanted to risk trusting the obviously unstable man, when Raphael and the others appeared around the corner.

"That would be best," he said in response to Raphael's plan to drive back to the circus. Even if he were well-rested, Selvai doubted he would be able to transport so many people at once. As the ring master headed down the hallway in the direction Paul had pointed them, he followed along at the back of the group, patting Leo's hair and cuddling him in an effort to calm the little boy.

Raphal had followed Paul's somewhat wide direction without a single shred of feeling; Neither anger nor thankfulness. His only issue was to find the others and get them seen to. Even getting out of this building wasnt nearly as important to him as the welware of his members. They would, once they had what they needed, have enough time to rest and deal with their injuries. Raphael was more than capable of keeping them all hidden while they recuperated.

He glanced over his shoulder at the weary looking Selvai carrying the restless Lionel; His gaze falling on Maya and Dravius. The blonde was still somewhat distracted, although she'd managed to her boyfriend's reassuring statements; Revealing that she was still somewhat well enough to pay attention to those around her. Even as he watched, she struggled to move her arms to try and stretch out the tattered material of her shirt in an attempt to cover herself a little more.

Sighing through his nose, the blonde continued down the hall; Following the more or less straightforward route with purpose.

~~~

Zyano watched with a careful eye as Kioko slowly but surely lifted herself off the floor; Luckily, not looking too worse for wear. It wasn't just about the physical injury, of course, but it was certainly a start. He threw a glance in the direction Penelope had left, before turning back to the albino in time to catch the girl's words. He looked at the cut on her chest, noting with slight relief that it didn't seem too serious. He'd leave it to someone else, however, to decide whether or not she needed the stitches.

He licked his own muzzle idly as Kioko wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his fur. He smiled a wolfish smile, before nosing Kioko gently in the face. "Me and Nylat are fine, thank goodness. So are the pups." He nosed her again. "I think, right now. We should be more concerned about you and the others. If your arm is paining you, then we need to find the others as soon as."

The giant, sand furred creature glanced fleetingly over his shoulder when he caught the scent of Nylat, returning with both pups. He nodded at Kioko's suggestion, pushing himself to all fours and glancing up and down the hallway. "I think that would be wise." He said, tail waving slightly. "But I'm not sure which way. There are a lot of scents here, and not many of them are all that obvious."

He paused, about to trot off down the hall, when the sound of footsteps brought him to a halt. He stood, one paw held slightly aloft; As a sudden, overwhelming smell hit him on the nose. Zyano quickly lowered his paw, worry jolting through him again as he recognised the scent as blood. Primarily Dravius' and Maya's, as well as that of someone else. Raphael's and even Kanec's were also evident.

As the Ring-Master rounded the corner, Zyano breathed a sigh of relief, although he was shocked to note the state of the Co-Master and his blonde partner.

"There you are." Raphael said, speeding up his pace. "Are you all okay?"

"Sort of. Most of us, at any rate." The sand coloured hybrid glanced fleetingly at Kioko. "I think Kioko's arm is injured. Is Maya okay?"

The Ring-Master nodded. "For now. We'll get them all seen to." He then padded over to the rest of the small group, before quickly checking over Kioko's arm. " I don't think it's broken... We'll bandage it though. It'll help with the pain. We need to find a spare room." He stated. "I want to give us all ample time to recover... Not too long, mind, but enough so we all feel comfortable... It's a long way back to the Circus." He then proceeded to look into each of the rooms on the corridor, until he came across one that was more or less empty save for, thankfully, all the medical instruments stored in drawers and cupboards that usually came with these places.

Zyano had returned to his mate's side, running his tongue over her fur again until Raphael spoke.

"Over here." He said, waving them all over. "We can stay in here a little while."

"Won't we be at risk if we stay here?" Zyano asked suddenly. His mate and pups, afterall, were still present. And he didn't wish to endanger them further if he could help it.

"I'll keep us hidden for as long as it takes." The blonde replied, strolling over to Kioko "Some of us need to get sorted now, rather than in three hours, myself included." He smiled slightly, then looked over his shoulder at the Dravius. "There are implements in that room you can use, Dravius. As well as blankets and other things for Lionel if you want to try and get him off to sleep." He directed towards Selvai. "We need to make the most of the time I can give us."

Gently leaning forward, the Ring-Master pulled Kioko to her feet using her good arm, before guiding her towards the room he had pointed out. The inside was clean, only occupied by a few drawers and cupboards. A pile of blankets could be found in one of them, and the blonde removed a couple, folding them on the floor before seating Kioko on them; Retreiving a bandage and proceeding to tightly bind her injured limb. He'd give them time to improve. There was little point in rushing out of this place... The major threats had been demolished.

Finishing swiftly with the albino's arm, he smiled slightly. "How's that?... If it's too tight, I can loosen it a little. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Kanec shifted himself on Raphael's shoulders as he started walking, pain flashing through where his leg would be. Grimacing, he shifted back into a rat, which amazingly, lessened the pain, since it was the form he'd been wounded in. He sighed in relief at the sight of the rest of their group. Wounds, but no fatalities. He glanced back at Selvai, then jumped from Raphael's shoulder, landing as a dire wolf and limping over to the magician, standing with his weight off of his hurt leg. He didn't quite want to shift back into a human yet. It'd be harder to walk on one good leg than three. Nylat looked on as he lightly nosed Leo, sighing in relief. Her and Zyano were lucky. Aside from the boy, her, her mate, and their pups were the only ones unharmed. The sore spot on her side where she'd been zapped didn't count. She followed as Raphael found someplace that seemed safe, taking up the pups and trotting into the room, setting the two down in the corner and sitting, curling her tail around Tylia and Kylain, worried for Maya. She whined softly, laying down with her head on her paws.

Kanec, as soon as they were in the room, shifted back into a human. The right leg of his jeans was bloody from the wound underneath, and he took Lionel from Selvai and limped over to the wall, sliding down it--careful of his wings--until he was sat on the ground, his right leg extended out halfway. His ears flat and wings half-flared, he held his son close, speaking in a low voice in an attempt to keep him calm.

Dravius had been relieved when a descision was reached without the need for his input. He trailed behind the others, feeling the bite marks in his leg ooze quite a bit of blood with every step, his muscles stretching the circular wounds. The leg of his pants was weighed down with drying blood, and all of his skin was itching slightly. As they moved, Dravius glanced down at Maya when he felt the young woman shift, trying to make the torn material cover her more. If he had any cloth to spare, he would've offered it to her, but his lack of shirt and poor condition of his pants didn't lend themselves to any real purpose.

As they rounded a corner, Dravius was happy to see the small group of people there, his anxious expression lessening slightly. The relaxation only made him seem more tired, his shoulders rounded slightly. He offered up another worn smile in response to Zyano's question, his dark brows curved upwards. He moved a few bare-footed steps towards Kioko, pleased to see that she was in one piece. She didn't seem too affected.

Wordlessly, the battered Co-Master followed his friend to an empty room. As he followed behind, he felt an inane urge to grab Raphael's sleeve for guidance, which wasn't something he had done in a while. He nodded tiredly at the Ringmaster's words, and gently set Maya down on a medical table, retrieving a blanket and wrapping it around her shivering shoulders. He kept the cloth far enough from the still-oozing wound to examine it. Grabbing rolls of gauze and anti-bacterial gels and disinfectant, he cleaned the wound with an extreme amount of care and concentration, wrapping the bandages around Maya's midriff to make sure it wouldn't come loose. He then gently kissed the woman's forehead and took a few steps back. A dozen or so quick stitches later Dravous had rather haphazardly fixed the puncture wounds in his calf and wrapped them in bandages.

"I'll....I'll be right back." Dravius' voice was rather hoarse, and he cleared his throat before slipping out the door.

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

Paul had sat himself back down in the hall once the ridiculously herioc people had flounced off. "Shit..." He murmered, looking at the still unconscious Ava. What was he gonna do? Ava'd have his head once she woke up when she puzzled the situation out. Paul wasn't exactly known for his outstanding bravery, and even if he hadn't chickened out, he'd still get a beating.

The young man sighed to himself and got to his feet, shivering slightly in the icy hallway. A shirt would be good. Rounding the corner, shaing his head, Paul stopped in his tracks. A positively delerious looking Dravius was in front of him, livid. The young man let out a nervous chuckle and began, "Well, lookee, I'm sure I can help you guys ou-hkkk!" His sentence was turned into a choking noise as Dravius wrapped a hand around Paul's neck, pressing him against a wall. "You seem pretty fucking talkative, bud." Dravius' face was only inches from the other man's, and in his free hand he held a needle and thread.

"N-n-n-n-" Paul was doing his best to squirm away from the darker haired man's grip, but to no avail. Pressing the back of Paul's head to the wall, Dravius poked the needle and thread he was holding through the corner of Paul's bottom lip. Paul didn't even dare to scream at this point, a strangled whimper the only noise echoing slightly in the hallway.

With a grim look on his face, Dravius finished what he had started, making sure to pull the thread through tightly, blood running down Paul's chin. The man was cross eyed with pain, and no form of pleasure was being gleaned from the blood slicking his neck. "Mmm, less chatty now?" Dravius released Paul almost violently, and turned on his heel, leaving Paul to writhe quietly, every twitch of his face burning. Dravius wiped his bloody hands on his pants and re-entered the room with the others, looking tired once again.

While Raphael had been dealing with Kioko's injured arm, Zyano had passed the Ring-Master to settle next to Nylat in the cold, clinical looking room with a near silent sigh. His ears were alert, though his warm amber eyes batrayed a kind of weariness. True, he hadn't really exerted any physical strength; But the overpowering emotions he had endured while looking for his mate and pups had taken an awful lot of energy out of him. The fear and concern had been incredibly draining, far more than even his earlier run around the lake.

Flopping onto his stomach next to Nylat, he glanced fleetingly in her direction as her worried whine made it's way to his ears. He followed Nylat's gaze towards Dravius as the Co-Master placed the injured Maya onto the medical table located in the room. The smell of blood was still very strong, on most of the people here, and Zyano gently placed his head on Nylat's in a reassuring sort of way.

"She'll be okay." He murmered, lifting his head only to lick the side of his mate's face. "Dravius will take care of her. She'll be up and around in no time." The hybrid smiled slightly, returning his head to it's previous position and exhaling quietly through his nose. Despite not knowing Dravius nearly as long as Nylat or some of the others; He knew him well enough to have full confidence in the Co-Master's medical abilities. It would seem the practice he had on his own self-inflicted wounds had made him somewhat of an expert. Just as well, really. Alongside Shahn, Dravius was one of the few people who tended to take charge of a members injuries and ailments, and despite his initially scary appearance, every member felt at least somewhat comfortable in his care. That was how Zyano saw it, at any rate.

Maya had remained pretty much silent and impassive, up until they reached the room of Raphael's choice, and then she seemed to become slightly more alert. She had, once they had found Kioko and the others, breathed a sigh of relief that no-one seemed too badly hurt; Before returning to her little shell of focus which consisted entirely of trying to ignore her own wounds. Easier said than done.

When the the blonde was placed on the table, she made a noise of slight discontent, watching Dravius as he went to retrieve medical things and a blanket. She smiled weakly when the Co-Master thankfully decided to give her more cover than she was able to provide for herself. Despite being distracted, she was still very much aware of the fact that she was, basically, half naked. Shorts and underwear were not exactly adequate clothing.

Sighing quietly, the blonde young woman resolutely kept her eyes ceiling-bound as the Co-Master dealt with the wound in her stomach, wincing every now and again either with apprehension or the sudden chill of that liquid stuff he was using. Dravius himself wasn't exactly causing her any pain, and the little kiss at the end there was a nice touch. It made her smile slightly, at any rate. When the tall, dark haired male finally seemed satisfied with her injury, she watched as he dealt with one of his own, before he promptly disappeared out of the door.

Maya had attempted to call him back, not quite happy with the idea of him walking around the building on his own, nor leaving her here, though the words died on her lips as he slipped from her line of sight. She exhaled slowly through her nose, gently using the blanket that covered her to wipe at the small cut on her jaw. It didn't hurt so much as it stung; Though the reminder of the state of her wing sent another chill through her as she turned to look at it. From what she could see, it was still oozing somewhat, meaning that it was pretty much still salvable. A few stitches would allow the wing to repair itself. So long as it got sorted soon.

The blonde eventually went to looking back at the ceiling, arms still covering herself under the blanket she now had. Her attention, once it got bored of the ceiling, switched to Raphael as the Ring-Master got to his feet, padding over to Kanec.

"Let me take a look at that." He stated, gesturing to the Shifter's injured leg just as Dravius made his reappearance, crouching slightly to assess the damage. "Where did you go?" The blonde asked of the Co-Master, not looking at him but turning his gaze from Kanec momentarily to obtain a needle and thread. It didn't seem a serious injury, similar to that on his own arm, and probably wouldn't take much to rectify. He started dealing with Kanec's leg, finishing it with a quickly administered bandage. The blonde then stood, and glanced around, before seating himself in a nearby chair and preparing to deal with the gash in his arm. It didn't require stitches, which was just as well. Applying his own might have been a problem.

Dravius made a non-commital "Mmm nowhere," in response to Raphael's question, blinking a few times. A spot of blood had made it's way onto his wrist and he rubbed it against his already bloody pants to clean his skin, then rubbed his good eye, sighing heavily. Stepping towards Maya, he brought out the needle and thread and dipped both in antiseptic, then looked up at Maya, blinking for a second. He settled the needle and thread on the counter and rummaged around for a moment.

Dravius found a few pain pills and a an empty glass, which he then filled halfway with cold water from the small sink in the corner. He handed the woman the pills and the glass, then stepped around her and stitched up her wing with tight, prescise stitches. It didn't take long, but the Co-Master was practised enough with stitches that the wound shouldn't leave any real marks, excpet for a slightly distruption in the pattern on the wing.

Making his way back around the table, Dravius was humming a vague tune, with no set tempo or tune, more just notes strung together, but it was noise to fill the otherwise silent room. The exhaustion in the room was almost tangible, a heavy air hanging over everyone. A few small bandages and medical tape later, the cut on Maya's face was taken care of, and Dravius had grabbed himself a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders.

The battered young man sat down with the blanket around himself, sighing through his nose. He felt ridiculously sleepy, and leaned his back against a wall, closing his eyes. Dravius was drowsy, and at this point was fighting to keep his eyes open. The young man caught glance of the still slightly shivering Maya and got to his feet with a bit of visible effort, and walked over to the table she was on.

Pushing himself up onto the table, Dravius wrapped his arms around Maya, burying his face in her hair, and murmering, "Mmm so glad you're safe." His blanket was around both of them at this point, and he felt about to doze off, his eyelids drooping. He had the look of a tired-out child, hugging Maya with a sleepy and contented expression.

Kioko flexed her wrapped arm gently, wriggling her fingers. "It seems okay," the pyro told Raphael quietly. She scratched at the dried blood on her cheek, making a disgusted face. "I'm cut. On my eyebrow, and, um...," Face turning red, Kioko pulled down the collar of her shirt just enough to show the large cut and smears of blood on her collarbone. "There, too. I don't think they're all that bad. I'd just like to clean up a little bit." Digging through one of the drawers, Kioko found a handful of alcohol wipes, and ripped open a few to scrub at her face.

She managed to remove the dried blood from her cheek, and most of it from her eyebrow, before moving onto the larger cut above her chest. The pyro actually hesitated for a moment, embaressingly aware of how many other people were in the room. She turned to face the wall, them peeled off the hoodie she had been wearing, leaving her in the white undershirt she had on underneath it. Tossing the hoodie aside for the moment, Kioko set about trying to clean up her wound a bit. Scrubbing with a new wipe took off most of the blood, although the wound began to bleed again, although more sluggishly than before.

Kioko looked around for a small bandage of some kind, before giving the shirt up as a loss. There was already a rather large bloodstain dried into the fabric; it would likely have to be thrown out once they made it back to the circus.

Gathering up the used wipes, the pyro balled them up and tossed them into a wastebakset, then picked up her hoodie from where it had landed on a nearby drawer. Unlike the shirt, the hoodie only had a few spots of blood on it, none of which were overly visible against the red color of the hoodie. Kioko folded it and held it against her stomach, shuffling over to where Maya lay on the table. She hadn't been able to see the full extent of the butterfly's injuries until the co-master had set her on the table, and then had been quite shaken at the gash in her friend's stomach. She stood back as Dravius stitched up the cut wing, then stepped forward. "How are you feeling, Maya?"

-----

Selvai gratefully handed Lionel over to Kanec, sighing as he took a seat on the floor near the shifter. "He seems to be fine, aside from a bit upset," the magician muttered. Thankfully. He had no doubt Disera would have been destroyed if anything had happened to Leo because of this. Leaning back against the wall, he gestured to Kanec's injured leg. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Kanec winced at bit as Raphael attended to his leg, but said nothing in protest. As the blonde left to tend to his own wounds, Kanec once again held his leg at half-outstretched, to not stress his injury. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall for a moment, relaxing for just a second. As Selvai sat down beside him, the shifter flicked an ear up to listen. "Aye, I'd hope he's fine. Were he not, there'd be some major trouble." He shuffled his wings. "And my leg is fine. Still supporting weight. And after a while of limping around, it should be as good as new."

~~
(( I'll post Ny in the morning.))

"All right." Was Raphael's only response to Dravius' answer to his question. As long as his Co-Master hadn't been spotted by anyone, it was fine he supposed. Finishing up with his arm, the blonde leant back in his chair slightly, exhaling through his nose as he closed his eyes for a moment.

Maya had gone back to watching the ceiling at some point, pulling her eyes from it momentarily when Dravius returned. She watched the exchange between the two men; Looking idly at Raphael when the Ring-Master had flopped into a chair, and jumping a little when the glass and pills semingly materialized out of nowhere in front of her. "Wha- Oh." She frowned slightly, struggling to her elbows before taking the glass and medication from Dravius. She barely had time to thank him before he moved on, decidedly dealing with her torn wing.

She watched him start, then promptly took the pills, placing the glass on a nearby table with pursed lips as she tried to ignore the little pricks of pain in the membrane. Her wing flickered every now and again with the entry of the Co-Master's needle.

The blonde, winged woman sighed in quiet relief when he finished, turning to look slightly surprised when he decided to sort the cut on her face. She hadn't quite thought it required any treatment, it seemed minor enough. Patiently, she remained as still as she was able, following the Co-master's movements when he disappeared to go sit by the wall. She was prompted, fleetingly, to try and get up and go sit with him. Only he seemed to change his mind about then, settling himself on the table with her. The blonde looked somewhat startled, although she was thankful for the extra warmth. And Dravius' close proximity gave her a peculiar feeling of safety.

"Only because of you." She responded, smiling slightly at him as he hugged her.

She had been halfway tempted to close her own eyes for a few minutes, the appearance of Kioko, however, caught her attention, and she turned to the albino with a slight smile.

"I think... I'm okay." She replied, shifting slightly under her blanket and Dravius' arms. "I'm glad to see you're not too badly hurt." The blonde smiled again, then sighed quietly. "Are you all right?"

~~~ Time Skip. Kinda. O_O ~~~

It was only an hour or so later when Raphael finally decided everyone was well enough to endure the trip back to the Circus. He roused those members drowsing, before taking a quick look out into the hallway to check it was clear.

"All right." He said, sighing quietly through his nose. "I think it's about time we got going. There's no need to rush. I'll keep us out of sight." He stepped back away from the door. He didn't particularly feel comfortable with moving everyone after such a short time, but they really couldn't stay here. It was a long drive back, and highly likely that people might still be looking for them.

Maya, who had remained completely still the past hour, dreaded the words that came out of Raphael's mouth. She didn't want to move. But, saying that... She didn't want to stay here any longer than she had to, either. Prodding Dravius lightly in the arm, the blonde then pushed herself onto her elbows, gently pushing herself up using her hands. Her movements seemed painfully slow to her, but the stiffness and soreness really hampered her movements; And her fear of making her wound worse made her rather reluctant. She inhaled deeply at the jolt in her stomach, using one hand to try and keep her top half covered with the blanket.

Zyano, who had nestled himself next to his mate; Mind too active for him to even doze, stood immediately at Raphael's words. "All right." He said, tail sweeping the floor once. "Let's get going." He looked at Nylat, then leant over her to gently lift Kylain, padding over to the half open door, before pausing. "How will we get back to the Circus?" He asked suddenly, placing his son gently on the floor in order to ask his question.

The blonde Ring-Master shrugged. "We'll take a van or something. I noted plenty of them when we came in. I highly doubt they'll miss one."

Nylat, still laying down, had dozed off, curled up around the pups. But when Zyano moved, she was instantly awake. At Raphael's words, she picked up Tylia, pausing at their mode of transportation. She REALLY didn't want to ride in one of those vans again. But, if it was the only way back...She whined slightly as she took up her daughter by the scruff and followed Zyano, sticking close.

~~

Kanec stirred, having been lost in thought up until the point where Raphael mentioned it was time to go. Shifting into a lion, he set Leo gently on his back, where the boy would be likely to not fall. He padded to the door, limping, but his large paws making near no sound. "I'm honestly surprised we managed to stay here this long. I'd have thought they'd have tried finding us." He flicked his ears back. He had wanted to leave as soon as they'd found the others, and return home to Disera, but of course, such had not been the case. He understood, though, since there were quite a few injuries. But even now, he wished he could shift into a giant cheetah and just run them all home.

Kioko, who had been sitting on a small swivel chair she'd found under the exam table, stood up once Raphael spoke up about leaving. She shoved the chair back under the table with her foot, and came to stand close to Maya as the butterfly carefully levered herself up from the table. Noticing her friend trying to keep herself covered with the blanket, Kioko retrieved her hoodie from where it had been left on top of a drawer nearby.

"Maya? Would you like to borrow this until we get back to the circus?" she asked. "It's a bit dirty, but it should be easier than carrying that blanket around." Leaving the hoodie with Maya, Kioko followed the others out into the hallway, holding her bandaged arm close and watching carefully as they moved through the hallways.

-----

"Hm. Perhaps they decided we would not be worth the trouble of trying to re-capture," Selvai spoke from where he had taken up a position next to Kanec, covering the side with his injured leg. "We can always hope that whoever is in charge of this place has decided to simply allow us to walk away."

The group eventually reached a set of double doors leading out into a parking lot next to the building, which was occuppied by a handful of cars, likely belonging to the people who worked there, and a row of passenger vans, identical to the one that had brought the captured members there. Selvai checked each van over, peering inside the windows and lifting the door handles as he went from one to the next.

"None of the doors are locked, although I did not see the keys inside any of them. It is likely they are inside the building somewhere," he reported once he rejoined them. "So, has anyone here ever hotwired a car before?"

Dravius had nodded drowsily at Maya's questions and fallen into a half-asleep state, his chin resting on Maya's shoulder. He was roused from his dozing both by Raphael's announcement that it was tie to go, and the movement of the woman tucked next to him. The Co-Master made a small "Hmmm" noise of consent, rubbing his slightly tired eyes as he sat up relatively straight, his shoulders rounded and his hands on his knees.

Sliding off the table, Dravius shivered slightly at the feeling of the cold tile under his feet, although the blanket wrapped around his shoulders insulated him more than well enough. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair, still stiff with blood.

Following everyone else outside the building, Dravius skirted around the occasional puddles of blood pooled in the grout, blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Before leaving the room, he had reached out an arm to stready Maya, giving her some assistance as the small group made it's way outside.

The line of vans was an odd sight to Dravius, and he peeked into the back window of one of them as Selvai asked his question. Coughing quietly, he raised a hand and said, "Yeah. S'not hard." He pulled open the driver's door of one of the cars, and ducked under the steering wheel, pulling a plastic panel out with a small grunt, using his fingernails to remove the plastic covering on several wires, and attached them to others. Within a few minutes, the car was growling softly, the engine up and running.

Dravius re-emerged from the car looking satisfied with himself. "Taa daa?" He offered, opening the passenger and back doors.

---------------------HURR DURR I HAVE NO PATIENCE--------------------------

The trip back to the Circus had been long and uneventful, with Raphael driving, and Dravius passed out in the backseat, his face pressed against the cool window. He looked peaceful in his sleep, breathing softly. His breath made fog against the window, clouding the glass with a gentle distortion.

The arrival back at the Circus was a rather large to-do, with members everywhere expressing their happiness at the group's return. Hugs were dispensed by a ridiculously tired Co-Master, drowsiness causing his eyelids to stay partially hooded.

------------------------EVEN LESS PATIENCE---------------------------------

The few weeks that the group had been home had been content ones, with Dravius sleeping ridiculous amounts of time, at least for him, and doting over Angel. He was spending as much time as possible with the toddler, and trying his best to spoil her rotten.

The Circus continued on its meandering path, and moved from city to city in the way it had for years. One bright, rather warm day, Dravius was lounging outside by himself, an unusual occurence as of late. He was sitting on his steps, looking out into the town near the newly-erected camp, chin resting on his knees. The initial curiosity of the townspeople had died down, and now the vans were quiet, alive with the subtle hum and laughter of Circus members.

In fact, the entire atmosphere was one of lazy contentment, Dravius' lazy posture on his steps mirroring it. A tapping made his turn his head to the side and catch a child peeking around the corner, giggling uproariously. Getting to his feet and tilting his head to the side, he peeked around the corner to see a little girl with pigtails high up on her head, about seven or eight, in a bright pink dress and Mary Janes. Dravius bent down on his haunches, asking, "Where are your parents, hun?" He had a lazy expression on his face, and was smiling slightly.

The child grinned in a rather unsettling way and placed a hand on either side of Dravius' face, and said in an amused tone, "You'd look nice as a lady, Mister." Her hands were strangely warm, almost to the point of them being uncomfortable. Dravius stood up as the girl giggled and scampered off, a confused expression on his face.

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

The girl had in fact been running around the circus for a while, patting random members with her hot little mitts and running away. She had managed to put her hands on the faces of Kioko, Karene, Raphael, Kanec, Selvai, and of course, Dravius. She had then squirreled herself away in an empty van, her small face poking out the window. Watching the people outisde go about their business, the child smiled again, giggling to herself as her hands seemed to glow a soft red, and all arounf the circus chaos was breaking out.

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

Dravius had resumed his post on his van's stairs, humming a small tune in the early afternoon sun, when suddenly his stomach gave a massive lurch. It was the sort of feeling one got on a roller coaster when the track reached a massive drop. Suddenly feeling sick, Dravius glanced down at his hands.

His sleeves weren't supposed to be this long, were they? Suddenly the Co-Master was aware of the neck of his shirt slipping down over one shoulder, and an almost painful sensation crackled throughout his entire body. He felt extremely nauseous, and staggered slightly as he got to his feet. His pants, although now entirely too large, were held up purely by the curves of hips that were DEFINITELY not supposed to be like that. Dravius' shirt was ridiulous on him, and in a moment of sheer panic, he turned his head to stare at the window of his van, the bottom of which rested at about five feet ten inches. In dismay, he discovered that the top of his head was barely visible.

Backing up, Dravius' face came into view, and he sucked in a giant breath. The features of his face were finer, with long, dark lashes and thinner brows. It was, without a doubt, a woman's face. Taking in another huge breath, Dravius let out a wordless scream that was shrill and hysterical, and a few octaves above what it would normally be.

In the first two weeks after their return, Kanec had gotten little sleep. He'd been too paranoid of something happening again. Eventually, he finally started sleeping at night, but he was still exhausted and somewhat paranoid when the day came around that a strange girl approached him. He had barely time to respond before she touched her hands to his face and ran off. Being a lion at the time, he shook his mane and stiffly jumped up to the top of his van. His injury was, for the most part, healed. However, he still retained a slight limp.

Dozing in the sun, he was suddenly jolted awake by the feeling that...something was off. Lifting his head, he realized that his mane was gone, leaving him with the appearance of a lioness. Frowning and hoping that maybe he'd unconsciously shifted into a mountain lion, he shifted into a human, planning on shifting back into a lion just after. However, something still felt....off. His pants were quite loose andokaywhendidhishipsgetthatdefined. Because it sure wasn't before he fell asleep. Were it not for his wings, his shirt and jacket would be nearly fully incapable of remaining on his form. And holy crap when did his hair get that long?

Slightly panicked, wings half spread, his ears flat, he paced. Okay. Something was definitely not ri--He was cut off by a scream, at which point he shifted into a raven and beat his wings, flying off in the direction of the outcry.

((... *Cracks out laughing*... I completely forgot about this. Also I love how everyone just notices their hips all of a sudden.))

The last two weeks, thankfully, had passed in a quiet, contented sort of haze. Sure, the members who had all been involved had taken some time to recover, but they were getting there, slowly but surely. Maya, once she had managed to get herself up and walking again had found her initial wound to not be as bad as expected, although both Raphael and Dravius had seemed intent on making absoloutely sure she was okay to return to performing. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to think so, as of yet. The scratch on her jaw had pretty much disappeared, and all that was left of the tear in her wing was a slight waver in the pattern that wasn't noticeable.

The blonde had, out of nothing else to do , had gone to visit the Ring-Master that morning; And as such, had been present when that little girl appeared. Raphael, being Raphael, had tried to discover the girl's identity before she promptly fled, but not until she'd touched his face in some peculiar sort of gesture. The rest of the two's conversation had continued up until the point the Ring-Master started experiencing something akin to illness, disappearing into his van for a few minutes. The blonde stood idly outside his door, wearing her usual white dress; Her gold hair tied in such a way that it all fell over one shoulder.

The sound of a startled yelp and things breaking in the van behind her made her glance quickly over her shoulder, her expression concerned, and then Raphael re-appeared a few silent minutes later, looking pale and haggard. Needless to say Maya's original look was replaced with one of incredulity and shock. The being stood in the doorway of the Ring-Master's van was Raphael, there was absoloutely no doubt about that... But he just... He just... Well...

He was a woman.

Wait...

The blonde blinked, clearing her throat slightly as she shifted from foot to foot, trying her best to make sense of the situation as she fought to get words out of her mouth. "Uh... Raph... You, er... You're-"

"Please. Don't point it out to me. I'm having enough trouble realising this as it is." The Ring-Master let loose an explosive breath, his voice shaky and far more femanine than it had been. It had taken absoloutely everything in his power not to shout continually at the sudden change that had overcome him. The person he had seen in the mirror was strange yet familiar, but that didn't in any way prepare him for the shock. His hair had remained as long as it had been as a man, although there was now a lot more of it, rather than the typical single lock. His eyes, peculiarly enough, although female, looked exactly the same, and his build remained slightly slender although... Definately with added curve. His expression was that of someone who had just endured some sort of personal insult. Luckily, having been only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, his clothes hadn't changed particularly much, although they were a little big on him seeing as he'd lost a few inches in height.

Maya couldn't quite grasp what she was seeing, and she stared at the Ring-Master with raised eyebrows, shaking her head quickly to try and ensure this wasn''t some sort of trick of the light. "I don't... I... What HAPPENED to you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Raphael responded, looking forlornly at his changed body. Maya personally thought he'd make an excellent model, he certainly had the look for it as a woman; And that just completely broke whatever barrier was stopping her from finding this whole thing amusing. She didn't laugh though. Although that took some effort to subdue. She eventually took a breath, placing a knuckle against her lips.

"Uhm... So... I mean... Uh.."

"I don't know." The Ring-Master said despairingly in his unusually soft sounding voice, waving a hand around in distress. "I really... really don't know."

It was about then a hysterical scream pierced it's way through camp, and Raphael immeidately shot off in the direction of that scream, his current situation forgotten; Followed immediately by the butterfly. The two had seemed to realise almost immediately where that shrieking sound had been located, and both came to a stop some distance from the van with surprised expressions, Maya's breath catching and Raphael's eyes wide.

The realisation of who it was who had let loose that sound hit Maya like a brick, and she inhaled sharply as she threw a sidelong glance at Raphael; Who was looking highly confused. He started muttering to himself about torublesome situations as the butterfly approached the Co-Master with a peculiarly hesitant step.

"Dravius?" She asked, knowing it was him without needing it confirmed. Oh god. She covered the bottom half of her face with both hands, her expression torn between complete concern and something that could only be amusement. "Is... Is that really you?" She asked, her voice hovering on the verge of being laughter. There was no need to ask, really. The sheer amount of scars revealed that it was... And he still looked like Dravius... Sort of...

"This is... So, so wrong." She murmered quietly, lips twitching as she reached out a hand to touch the drastically altered face of the Co-Master. She spent a couple of minutes like this, before she looked over at Raphael. "This had better be reversable." She said, her voice losing some of it's amusement as the sudden thought hit her, before she turned her attention back to Dravius, struggling to comprehend his sudden change in form. It was so, so weird. So. Weird.

"Fingers crossed this thing has a time limit." The Ring-Master replied hopefully in response to the butterfly's words, stepping up to Dravius to get a better look at him. "Well. Not only me, then?" He paused, then directed his words at his oldest friend, strangely femanine eyes piercing and long blonde hair falling straight down his back. "Let me guess. Little girl, right?"

~~~

Almost at the exact same time Dravius' scream had penetrated the otherwise silent camp, another, slightly more masculine yell had revertabrated from Karene's van. She, like the Co-Master, had been touched by the hands of that peculiar little girl, and now stared at her reflection in utter horror and dismay.

Okay. Okay. There had to be a spell to reverse this. There had to be! She downright refused to spend the rest of her life as a man. An attractive man, maybe, but a man nonetheless. She had been promptly throwing spellbooks everywhere, whenever there was a lack of solution, only pausing to look back at the mirror to ensure she hadn't been seeing things. Nope. Definately not.

Her hair was still short, falling over her green eyes in untamed locks. Her face had that peculiar angularity to it that usually came with the gender, although in her case it did seem to b somewhat softer. Her height had remained, more or less, as had her slightly muscular build, although now as a man that seemed more pronounced; Her clothes luckily, still seemed to fit, albeit they were a tad tighter than usual. Probably all that filling out she'd done in the last few minutes.

"Agghh." She flared, throwing a book across the van. What the hell had happened! WHAT was THIS. AHHH. GODDAMNIT.

"SELVAI." She yelled, her voice definately deeper than usual and slightly hoarse with her continued shouting and yelling. Quite suddenly, a thought cut her off in the act of throwing another book, and she dropped it with a peculiar recognition flitting across her male orientated face. Wait... Wait... Maybe this had something to do with that child... It HAD to. There was no other alternative! There was nothing else it could be!.. And, quite frankly, she had felt weird ever since that little girl had touched her... That thought wasn't the one that had stopped her though... No...

If that was the case then... Then Selvai... Selvai... He'd been touched by the child too. He... Oh god. Ohhhh god. This was not good. Not good, AT ALL. There was a moment of silent comprehension, before Karene promptly flung herself out of the van in haste. Great. Absoloutely peachy. Perfect.

God damnit.