The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

Waking up when Karene left the van for the second time, Selvai lay in bed for a moment, still dozing slightly, before he eventually rolled out of bed to begin the day. The magician changed out of his night clothes, pleased and relieved to see he was back in his proper body. He slipped into a dark blue button shirt and jeans, pulling his hair into a ponytail before leaving the van, looking around for Karene once he was outside. Not seeing her around, he shrugged, heading toward the food van. He could find her after breakfast, after all, it wasn't anything urgent.

Noticing the dark clouds overhead, Selvai made a mental note to return to the van for a jacket before going to check the wards around the circus later. Inside the food van, he took his plate of waffles and orange juice to an empty table near the corner. As he ate, Selvai idly wondered if they would be seeing Thomas again today, or if the young man had changed his mind and decided to find a different teacher. Ah, well. He'd know sooner or later.

-----

Adriel noted the overcast sky with a frown, sighing as she ran her fingers through her short hair. Well, hopefully the rain would hold off long enough for her to finish what she had set out to do and get back to her van. She been preoccupied, and hadn't noticed the rain clouds till halfway across the circus grounds, when it made more sense to continue on instead of going back for an umbrella. Sighing again, Addie made a token effort to fix her hair where she had ran her fingers through it before climbing the few van steps and knocking on the door. "Raphael? Are you home? There's something I need to talk about with you."

Maya had still been in the process of searching through her wardrobe when she heard Dravius move from the bed, and she glanced around the open door at him in time to catch him walking towards Angel's crib. She smiled slightly as she turned her attention back to the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of dark grey jeans and a white, v-neck jumper.

She proceeded to change quickly into them, swiftly managing to position her wings between the barely visible slits in the back of her jumper. Even with both wings positioned through the white material, it was incredibly hard to tell; The material fitting perfectly around the wing joints. Needless to say, most of the blonde's clothes that had backs had the very same adjustments made to them; Although she did own a few that hadn't been touched, usually out of a delibrate choice. In snowy weather, for example, Maya much preferred to have her wings covered.

Stretching her arms, she stepped away from the wadrobe, stopping to watch Dravius as he assessed the somewhat beaten Brandon, before finally doing some repair work on it. She stepped forward to take the giant butterfly with a pout at the Co-Masters words, before placing it on the chair that sat in one corner of the van with a great deal of care. "All right." She said. "But I'm keeping this one." The blonde smiled fondly at the giant butterfly plush, her eyes falling on her daughters crib at the sound of Angel's quiet snuffles, more out of the little girl's waking up than any sort of distress. It took less than a minute for the little girl to stick her face between the bars of her cot, pacifier still in her mouth, looking bleary eyed and still half asleep.

"Hm?" Maya looked up from the waking Angel, eyes focusing on her boyfriend before flickering to the nearest window. "Huh. I don't know about rain, but it's certainly dull and uninviting." Sighing loudly, she watched Dravius retrieve an umbrella, snorting quietly with amusement.

She shook her head at him, smiling slightly as she went to open the door; Standing in the doorway and looking skyward. "I think it'll be okay. It doesn't quite look dark enough to rain." Maya wasn't particularly fond of rain, although that was usually how she felt only when her wings got wet. If she managed to keep them somewhat dry, then the blonde was almost able to relate to Dravius' love of the wet weather. Not on such a scale, mind you, but close enough.

Looking over at him momentarily, the blonde smiled, hopping over to the Co-Master to wrap her arms around his waist. She blinked at his suggestion. "Oh... All right." Still smiling, Maya stood on tiptoe to kiss Dravius quickly on the lips, before letting go of him and walking back towards the door. "I'll see you over there then."

With that said, she stepped lightly out of the door; Noting that, despite the overcast sky, it really wasn't all that cold. She made her way quickly to the food van, obtaining a breakfast of mixed berries before stepping over to Selvai's table; Having noticed the magician sat on his own in one corner of the van.

"Morning, Selvai." Maya greeted brightly, sitting herself opposite to the dark haired male and glancing quickly around the van. "Isn't Karene with you this morning?"

~~~

The checking of the Circus security took very little time on Karene's part, and, feeling slightly iffy about the dull weather, headed back to her van with her hands in her jean pockets. She had been inside for a good few minutes before realising that Selvai had finally upped and left, and, with a sigh, headed back out of the van and directed her steps towards the food van.

Blowing a strand of caramel brown out of her face as she entered, the magician threw a slight smile in Selvai and Maya's direction, flopping into the vacant seat beside her husband. "Oh, there she is." Maya laughed, popping a strawberry into her mouth. "Busy this morning?" She asked, picking at the fruit on her plate.

"Sort of. Just the usual checks." Karene shrugged, sagging back against the chair slighty; Both elbows resting on the back as she stared at the van ceiling. "It didn't take too long. I feel like I've taken a few laps of the grounds though." The caramel haired woman fell into a short silence, before looking at Selvai. "Nice to see you back to normal." She said, smiling slightly, an amused expression on her face.

~~~

It had been another early morning for the Ring-Master of the Majikus. Naturally so. He was often up before many of the others, although he didn't really do anything along the lines of work. It was, in his opinion, a bad habit to wake and start immediately on paperwork or whatever else needed seeing to in regards to the Circus. It tended to make people look obsessed.

Raphael had spent most of this particular morning simply dozing, eyes closed as he laid, fully dressed, on his bed. His hands were locked behind his head, and the one blonde lock that resided at the back of his neck followed the contours of his duvet as it trailed over the side of the mattress. The sound of knocking didn't encourage any sort of movement from the relaxing Ring-Master, though the voice that followed made an eyebrow quirk slightly as he glanced over at the door.

Pushing himself off the bed, the blonde walked lightly over to the door, his red t-shirt unusually colourful against that strange darkness in his van. That sort of muggy darkness that tended to follow those overcast clouds around. Opening the door, Raphael managed quite well to conceal a yawn, running two fingers through the locks that fell haphazardly over his eyes as he looked curiously at the woman on his step.

"Hm?... Come in." He said, standing aside and holding the door open. "... Just in case. The weather isn't exactly all that promising this morning."

Dravius glanced at the sky once more, out the door as Maya left, then blinked at the slight chill that had crept in through the opening, shivering slightly. Turning towards Angel, he reached into the crib and lifted the small girl out gently, settling her weight on one of his hips and walking towards the bathroom, humming a slow tune as he did, turning the water on in the bath with a flick of his wrists, holding one hand under it to check the temperature.

Dravius reieved Angel of her pajamas and set her in the slowly filling tub, kneeling on the ground in front of it. He rummaged around in a closet, while keeping an eye on the child, pulling out a rubber ducky and a few boats that would float on the surface of the bath. Setting the toys down, he shut the water off, as it had reached the child's shoulders, still humming his tune.

It took a bit more rummaging to find shampoo, which the Co-Master settled on the edge of the tub, then used a hand to wet the his daughter's hair, careful to keep the water out of her eyes. Soap and more water later, Dravius pulled the plug on the tub and lifted Angel out, wrapping her in a towel and setting her on the bed. He pulled a dress out of the wardrobe and dressed her quickly, putting a white sweater on her to protect fromt he slight chill.

"Alrighty, time for breakfast then?" The young man asked the child, kissing her on her forehead and venturing out of the van into the humid air.

It certainly smelled like rain, the slightly metallic scent permeating the air. Dravius made his way to the food van, the slightly dragging tune still being hummed. Opening the door, the song trailed off, and he blinked for a moment, looking for Maya. Spotting her, he made his way over, settling down with the newly-clean little girl in his lap.

"Good morning, Maya," the magician greeted her as she sat down. "Karene left the van just as I woke this morning, unfortunately. She will probably be along soon, though." Taking another bite of waffle, Selvai spotted Karene entering the van and returned the dark haired woman's smile before waving her over.

Swallowing, he greeted her once she sat down. "Hello, love. I am glad to see you are back to yourself as well," Selvai said with a smile. The striped haired man threw his crumpled napkin onto his empty plate as Karene spoke about the magical spells around the circus. "Ah. I assume none of the wards need reinforcing then. I had planned to check on them myself after breakfast, but it seems you took care of that already."

Draining the last of his orange juice, Selvai stood from the table, picking up both the glass and his plate. "Excuse me for a moment." He took the dishes over to the collection area, then headed back to the table, folding his arms on top of the table as he sat down again. "So, have you had breakfast yet?" he asked Karene.

-----

Adriel smiled at the sight of the yawning Raphael, stepping inside and allowing the blond to close the door. "Sorry about that. You weren't asleep, were you? I know how you older folks need your rest," she teased, smirking slightly. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the back of a chair, not wanting to sit down. If this didn't go well, she wanted to spare herself any extra embaressment and get out of the van as soon as possible.

"Well. There's something I've been wanting to say to you for awhile," she began, joking mood suddenly gone. "I would have brought it up before, but, um. It's not really something you just bring up in the middle of breakfast, even around a place as laid back this. Then, there was one thing after another, with the wedding and those insane scientists, and to be honest, I was scared of what you would say when I told you."

Sighing, she paused for a moment, giving into the urge to run her fingers through her hair. "The thing is, I love you. It started out as a crush not long after I joined, and I thought that was all it was, so I just kept it to myself. But, it's not. I love you. I'm in love with you, and I thought it was about time I told you." Looking Raphael in the eyes, Adriel shrugged, uncrossing her arms and shoving her hands into her jeans pockets.

"So, that's all I came to say. I hope this won't make things awkward between us from now on. I'm not going to breakdown and cry or throw a fit and leave the circus if you say you don't feel the same, so don't worry about that. I just needed you to know."

Angel had watched her parents with a peculiar kind of distracted-ness, most likely to due her still half-asleep state. She did, however, half heartedly throw her pacifier across her crib, before pulling herself into a standing position using the side of it. Her fathers sudden appearance had her glancing up at him, squealing slightly when he lifted her up.

She didnt pay much attention to anything except her fathers face, and, giggling all the while, tried her utmost best to crawl away from him when he started preparing her for her bath. The little girl only squirmed around more when he lifted her again, and she let out more squeals as she felt the water on her skin; And her expression became pouty and discontent, although that very quickly evaporated when all those boats and the ducky appeared out of nowhere.

What followed was a whole lot of splashing about and flying boats. Angel was perfectly happy to stay this way, if it wasn't for her father's hands constantly going to her hair, and her playtime was interspersed with short spaces of her wrestling with her dads hands. She had been so awfully close to going back to that little rubber duck when she was promptly lifted out of the water and covered in a fluffy towel, rendering her helpless and giggling.

The rest of Dravius' efforts went without much resistance on Angel's part, as she was pretty much staring at Brandon the entire time he was dressing her, and when she eventually turned her attention back to her father, it was to cing firmly onto his shirt as he stepped out of the van. A sudden string of "Dah's" started making themselves present about this point.

When Dravius entered the food van, Maya, who had originally been looking at Karene, glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her daughter;s gurgling, smiling when the Co-Master seated himself next to her.

"You're very efficient with the whole washing thing." The blonde laughed, running her fingers through Angel's slightly damp hair as the little girl made a grab for a grape from her mothers plate, failing, and giggling when Maya handed one over. Angel tried to fit the whole grape in her mouth, before finding that a little difficult to swallow and pulling it back out again to try and bite a bit off. She then offered the rest of it to her father, holding it up with another "Dah" before deciding she didn't want to be quite that generous. She then promptly tried to fit the rest of the fruit into her mouth again.

Maya snorted quietly at the little girl's antics, Karene of which was also looking slightly amused. The magician had had her eyes on Angel with a smile on her face; And she tore her eyes away only to raise her eyebrows at Selvai. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said teasingly. "I should have stayed in bed and let you do all the work." Laughing, the caramel haired woman went back to watching the baby in Dravius' arms up until the point her husband spoke again. She nodded at him, then leant her elbows on the back of her chair.

Selvai's return and following words made Karene exhale a huff of breath. "Nah. I don't quite feel like eating." She said shortly, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "Maybe later. I don't feel like I could really hold anything down right now."

Maya had been wiggling her fingers at her daughter, before quickly glancing up at the magician at her words. "Are you all right?" She asked, not bothering to move her hand away when Angel immediately decided to maul it.

"Yep. Fine. Just having an off day." Karene shrugged, as Maya turned her attention back to her daughter; Before pushing her plate of berries towards the little girl.

"We're going to have a restless sort of day today." The blonde mused, watching Angel shove a strawberry against her mouth. "If it starts raining, we're going to have to keep her in all day." She laughed. "I hope you've got plans for her." The blonde grinned teasingly in Dravius' direction.

~~~

Raphael had immediately stepped over to his desk as Adriel entered, throwing a quick glance out at the dull sky before turning to shove a load of spare papers into a drawer. He then promptly pushed himself up with both hands onto the desk, sat on the edge with his curious expression still in place, resting his elbows on the knees of his jeans. "Oh, haha." He snorted, throwing Adriel an answering grin at her initial teasing. "Very funny. But, to answer your question, no, I wasn't." He snorted again, before "pff-ing" quietly, more to himself than anything.

"So what is it?" He asked, wondering whether or not this was something he need be concerned about. It became apparent however, that it wasn't. At least, not with the woman's following words. They most certainly were not the words of someone who was overly concerned about a serious issue. Not on the scale of life or death, anyway.

"Oh?"

The blonde's face was still curious, although as Adriel's words continued to flow, his expression became tinged with slight concern; More because he really wasn't sure what he was expecting her to say. It most certainly wasn't what she did say, however, and the blonde Ring-Master found himself curiously speechless at the woman's declaration, and his face became slightly surprised. She... Loved him?... It certainly couldn't be a joke. Adriel wasn't that sort of person, and this was a pretty lame thing to joke about anyway.

Raphael, somewhat lost in thought, stared at Adriel with a peculiarly emotionless gaze. Why he was having such trouble processing this, he couldnt be sure. He was flattered, certainly, by her words. In fact, he would probably even go so far as to admit her feelings weren't entirely one sided. The thought wasnt unpleasant. The blonde's reluctance stemmed more from the fact that this had been entirely unexpected and as such, he had not in any way been prepared for it.

Opening his mouth the speak, the blonde almost instantly closed it again. Before he was able to take a second chance, a knock on the door disrupted his racing mind. He glanced fleetingly at the wood, then sighed. "Come in." He said, his voice steady despite the peculiar sensation currently permeating his chest. He looked over at the Circus member who had just entered; The young man of which glanced quickly between the Ring-Master and Adriel before hurrying over and speaking to Raphael quietly.

"All right." The blonde sighed, sliding from his desk as the member immediately headed out of the door; Raphael following him before pausing by the doorframe, gray eyes falling Adriel. His gaze was steady and soft, and there was a peculiar sort of compressed emotion in that look. He held the woman's gaze for a short while, before glancing back at the room. "Just... Give me some time... All right?" He said quietly, glancing at her before stepping out of the door, pausing again once he got outside.

"Oh." He said suddenly in his usual tone of voice, looking back over his shoulder. "I don't think you need to be all that concerned." He said in response to Adriel's last spoken sentences, smiling slightly before heading off towards the main tent, hands in his pockets.

His gaze was groundbound the entire way there, and his smile had disappeared to give way to slightly furrowed brows. He wasn't quite sure what to think. Sure. He'd had relationships before, but none of them had been all that serious; And Adriels mere way of speaking quite clearly stated that this was, in her eyes. But... He just wasn't sure how he felt about it all. He liked Adriel. He did. He'd even admit his feelings might delve somewhat deeper than that; But his problem was more his mindset... Peculiarly, he reminded himself of that one conversation he had once had with Maya about his relationships. About his Circus-focused way of life. About the trouble he had putting anything before it.

The blonde sighed.

Looked like today was going to involve some serious thinking on his part. Some very serious thinking.

It was quite a shame, Ava mused, looking at the dark red spatters staining her leather high heels. They'd been one of her favorite pairs, and now they were undoubtably stained beyond saving. Frowning, she plucked at the material of her blouse where it had begun to dry and stick to her skin. It would have to be thrown out, as well, sadly. Well, it was her own fault for being so impatient and jumping right into it when Neva returned, intstead of taking the time to change into something more suitable. Of course, her shoes would likely have been a lost cause anyway, considering the amount of blood now spilled on the floor of the small, rundown building Ava had picked out.

It was a wooden, windowless shed, belonging to an abandoned farm far enough away from the nearby town that no one would happen to be passing by. Fortunate, considering how loud the screaming had gotten toward the end. The scientist gathered up her tools, stepping around what was left of a dark haired man on the stained floor, and over to a bucket of water, tinged with a pinkish color. She washed off the metal instruments and dried them before placing them into a leather case. Ava glanced one last time at the body, bloody and blackened in various places from her poisons, before opening the door and stepping outside.

"Well, I must thank you for the help, Miss Neva," Ava told the dark haired woman standing beside the shed. The scientist smiled in a rather unbalanced way, dark eyes shining with insanity. "It would have been near impossible to lure Mister Xavier Wolfe out here without your ability influencing him."

-----

Several days later found Ava outside of a row of cheap, ill-maintained apartments, several cities away from the farm shed containing the remains of Xavier. Adjusting the sunglasses hiding her wine colored eyes, the silvered haired woman strolled up to the front door of one of the apartments and knocked on the door. After several long moments, and the sounds of locks being turned, the door cracked open just enough for a face to peer out.

"Can I help you?" a short, Asian woman asked with a suspicious look on her face.

Ava threw her least psychotic smile at the woman. "Are you Mrs. Fuurin?"

"It's Miss Fuurin," she snapped. "I'm not married."

"Of course, of course," Ava nodded. "Are you the mother of Kioko Fuurin, by chance?"

The woman stiffened, eyes narrowing. "That girl ran away years ago. What's this about?"

"Of course she did. Children are such hassles, aren't they." Ava slipped one hand into her pocket, still smiling at the woman. "Always causing trouble for their parents, even when they're not even around." The scientist drew a syringe out of her pocket, twisting the cap off with her thumb, and lunged forward, jabbing it into the other woman's neck. As the dark haired woman stumbled backward, Ava slipped her free hand inside, undoing the chain still on the door and stepping inside. "That's why I'm here, you see," she said, closing the door and twisting the deadbolt behind her. "You and I need to discuss your daughter's recent behavior."

((Oh my god that is terrible. xD))

It hadn't been hard, really, to do as Ava had asked. Using her ability on one person was always far more effective than a few, and Neva had found the experience a simple matter. She had, originally, chosen to keep herself aloof of this scientists idea; Having had her chance with the Circus and having blown it. She really hadn't been all that fussed about trying again anyway, the first time had been a risky chance as it were, and Neva wasn't particularly desperate about any of this.

Still. The money Ava offered had immediately changed the dark haired woman's mind. All right. So it wasn't personal. It didn't need to be. If this silver haired woman was willing to pay that much for her help, then why the heck not.

The dark haired woman stood some distance away from the abandoned farm shed; Having seen almost immediately the sheer insanity in the scientists eyes when Xavier was brought to her. She donned a pair of tight fitting jeans, and a somewhat revealing black crop top, as was her nature and usual style. Neva, despite everything, had to excercise quite a bit of willpower to keep herself stood within range of the noises emanating from that shed once she'd left Ava to it. Horrifiying was an understatement.

When the screams had finally died, the dark haired woman glanced over her shoulder; Black hair falling in it's usual luscious waves as Ava emerged from the run down building. She merely gave the slightly older woman a placid sort of smile in response to her words, glancing only once at the shed before leaving the place behind; Following after her employer.

~~~

It was only a a few days or so later that they had stopped off in another town; Leaving Ava to go and do whatever it was she was going to do. She had been given another job here, this one not nearly as complicated as the first had been.

Heading immediately to where she had been directed by Ava; Neva stopped outside what could only be described as a night club. Seeing as it was still morning,, the place was incredibly quiet, and the dark haired woman slipped inside; Easily catching the attention of every man in that bar with simply her walk. Upon speaking with the barman, she was led to a back room, dark and smoky; Inhabited by only three or four people far as she could tell. Almost as soon as the door was closed behind her, her eyes focused on the one man who had been described to her. Adam, by name.

He currently lounged on the one of the rather expensive looking couches in the dim lit room, elbows resting on one arm, legs crossed on the actual seat. His hair was red. A deep, dark blood red, that was, despite it's colour, obviously not dyed; And it was styled short and slightly spiked. He would have, in Neva's opinion, have been very handsome, if not for the constant hint of a cruel nature that was all so obvious about his face; His dark eyes cold as they stared her down. There was also a tattoo half visible just over the collar of the male's white shirt; A dark red viper from what she could see.

The man simply continued to watch her as she sat herself boldly in front of him; No hint of concern about her presence whatsoever. The clear lack of any hesitance on her part seemed to amuse the red-haired male, although his voice was still ice cold as he spoke to her. "Well. What is it."

The amount of time it took to convince the man that Ava required his help was not all too quick; Though he eventually gave in more for the curiosity of what the scientist could possibly need his help for. It had, afterall, been a good few years since the tall, blood-haired male had even set eyes on his ex-lover; And even longer since he had left the service of all those scientists to go and live his life elsewhere. Still... It was peculiar, to hear from Ava at all let alone now.

The next morning, Nylat woke up and found herself even more restless than usual. Leaving Tylia and Kylain to continue sleeping, she paced the van, wanting nothing more than to run. When the pups woke up, she returned to them, curling up around them as she always did, though her tail swished back and forth restlessly. Of course, after only a few moments, she had something to do, as Kylain was once more getting into trouble.

~~

Kanec, who'd slept on the floor, woke up and didn't even have to open his eyes to know he was back to his normal self. Stretching and yawning, he hopped up on the bed and lightly pawed at Disera's shoulder. "Hey, wake up, sleepyhead. I'm back to being me." He laid down, crossing his paws and grinning. "Unless you don't care, of course~"



FFFFFFAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL D8 And I hate it))

Dravius had glanced down at his daughter when the young girl had tried to stuff an entire grape into her mouth, slightly concerned that she was going to choke, but the fact that she decided to reconsider stopped him from trying to take it away from her.

"Well, she was still half asleep, and it involved a whole lot of distraction using toys." He reached down to take the half-grape offered to him, withdrawing his hand when Angel pulled the small bit of fruit back towerds her mouth. He shrugged at the child's indecisiveness, flicking his head to rid his vision of a lock of black hair.

Running the fingers of one hand through his daughter's damp hair, he pulled it back from her forehead and braided it quickly, using his other hand to assist in the hairstyle, glancing up with a fair amount of concern when Karene mentioned not feeling well. Dravius tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth to ask whether or not she was alright, but was beaten to the punch. Closing his mouth once again, he watched with amusement as Angel treid her best to stuff an entire strawberry into her small mouth.

Gently, the Co-Master removed the strawberry to remove the green top and took a bite out of it, offering the berry, much smaller, back to Angel. "I never have a plan. For anything. I hope it doesn't rain." He smiled rather minimally and secured the french braid in Angel's hair with a twist of a hand. Dravius was feeling rather drowsy, and he yawned once, then turned his head to look at Maya, blinking lazily.

"I have a feeling if it does I'll end up making a new Brandon and then assisting in the largest tower of blocks this side of the equator." At his last sentence, his lips twitched upwards, into a smirk, and he reached over onto the plate in front of him to snatch a bit of fruit and toss it into his mouth.

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

The dimly lit room that Adam was currently sat in was lit in such a way that each wall was cast in deep shadows, a perfect hiding place for any rascal that might choose to lurk inside of them.

There was of course, one such rascal in this situation. Well. Less of a rascal and more of a slightly unbalanced, six and a half foot tall, homicidal man. He was wearing strangely Victorian clothing, a short top hat and waistcoat making him look like some sort of fine gentleman from ages past. Even in the shadows, one could see the slight glitter of his eyes, a hostile stare directed towards the woman who had entered.

She wasn't anyone he'd seen before, and the rather imposing man listened to her words before taking a half step out into the dim light of the room. "It certainly seems as if the Magical Mystery Tour has come to take us away, doesn't it." His voice carried a slightly amused tone, and he put a hand on the brim of his hat and bowed his head for a moment.

The lady sitting in the room was certainly lovely, but had a look about her as if she had no qualms about ripping his still beating heart out of his broad chest. "It is a pleasure to meet your aquaintence." The voice that seemed to ooze out of the man was deep and rich, a pleasing noise to the ear.

The owner of the voice smoothed the front of his waistcoat, bright red buttons standing out against a black background. The dress shirt and pants he wore were the same shade of night, as well as his short-cut hair.

Disera rolled over, lightly smacking at Kanec with her tails. "About time. I wasn't about to explain to Lionel why he had two mommies. Speaking of, good morning sweetie," the shapeshifter cooed, rolling out of bed and over to Leo's crib where the toddler was already awake. Picking up the young boy from where he was clinging to the bars of his crib, she turned back to Kanec. "Welp. Any ideas for what to do today?"

-----

Addie watched the circus master absorb her news with a blank face, a knot of tension in her chest. She was well prepared to deal with a rejection, however, waiting for it was something else entirely. The dark haired woman found herself biting down on her bottom lip nervously as she waited for the blond man to speak, trying to keep from otherwise fidgeting. She did lean slightly forward when Raphael opened his mouth to speak, trying not to be disappointed when he closed it again without speaking.

The tension was broken when the young man knocked on the door, and Adriel exhaled slowly. Because of course something would interrupt this conversation. Well, at least she'd managed to get through telling him without anyone needing to talk to the circus master.

Adriel made to follow the two out of the van, stopping when Rapahel turned back to address her. "Of course, sure," she said softly in response to his request for time. She allowed herself a small smile at that. Perhaps he was just thinking of the best way to let her down, but, Adriel thought that Rapahel would have simply told her that upfront if it were the case. She stepped out of the van and in the direction of the food van, feeling much more hopeful than she had a few minutes earlier.

-----

Selvai frowned at Karene's admission of feeling ill. "I hope you are not getting sick," he said. "If you want, you can go back to the van and rest. Since you have already check on the wards, and it is unlikely we will be needed anymore today. I can deal with anything that comes up." The magician looked up at Adriel when she joined them at the table. "Ah, hello Adriel."

"Good morning all," she said cheerfully, smiling as the others. The dark haired woman waved at Angel, laughing at the little girls efforts with the fruit in front of her.

"You seem in a good mood," Selvai observed. "Did something happen?"

Adriel shrugged. "I just finally got around to something I'd been putting off for a while. So, how are you guys today?"

-----

It was sometime later when Ava stepped out of the small apartment, much cleaner than when she had gotten done with Xavier. She had, unfortunately, not been able to be as thorough as when she had dealt with the brother of the co-master, due to the public location. Unlike then, she'd had to make sure to keep the woman was gagged throughout, to keep from alerting any neighbors to what was happening inside. Having to deal with a police officer would set her plans back by far too long.

Still, she'd managed to accomplished what she had come for. Ava hummed to herself, deranged smile making another appearence as she headed out. She'd finished two of the things she'd set out to do, however, she would likely need more help than simply Neva for the rest of the plan. And, as amusing as it was to think of Neva dealing with Adam, it would be better if she were there to convince him.

The silver haired woman slid into the back room, ignoring Neva to take a seat on the plush couch close to the man. "Hello, love," she smirked at the red head. Flipping open her cigarette case, she slid one between her lips, snapping the case closed and lighting it with a flick of her lighter. Ava took a long drag, exhaling with a cold smile before finally looking over at Adam. "I see Neva managed to find you. Tell me, how are you doing these days?" she asked, wine colored eyes roaming over the room, taking in the strangely dressed fellow before flicking back to Adam.

She leaned over, tugging his shirt down and scraping her nails, manicured, but stained dark red around the cuticles, over the tattoo on his chest. "I have a little job, that I need help with," the silver haired woman purred into his ear. "So, I thought of you. It must get boring, these dirty little clubs and the dull, normal people you put up with. Why not come work with me again, hmm?"

It had gone rather well, Neva thought, considering she had quite literally just come out of nowhere in order to ask for this mans assistance. Of course, she hadn't exactly expected it to be difficult. Ava had seemed quite confident that this Adam guy would eventually come around; Although he hadn't yet said "yes" in so many words, he certainly seemed to be up for the idea. Or, at least, he seemed up for speaking with Ava about what it was she wanted from him. Which was all Neva had really needed to ensure.

Exhaling quietly through her nose, the black haired woman gently folded one leg over the over, leaning back in the rather expensive looking leather chair she currently sat in. "So." She said quietly, voice lyrical as it slipped past her lips, her dark, burgundy eyes penetrating. "What exactly can you do?" She asked, the lilt in her voice strangely curious as she stared down the red-haired stranger sat across from her. "Ava certainly seems to think you'll be useful."

"That... Would depend entirely on what she wants me for." Adam replied, stubbing out the cigarette he had been holding in his fingers; Tendrils of silver smoke escaping his lips as he returned Neva's hot gaze coolly. Leaning both elbows on the back of his chair, his expression became faintly amused. "Must be important. For her to send a complete and utter stranger after me."

"I'm merely doing what I'm being paid to do." Neva shrugged. "She was busy, otherwise I believe she would have come herself." The dark haired woman paused, before shrugging again, her gaze wandering to the dimly lit surroundings. It was, she had been able to tell almost immediately, one of those dodgy back rooms that were so often found in places like this; The sort of rooms where the more illegal side of things tended to take place. She didn''t mind this sort of thing, really... In fact, places like this usually harboured some rather interesting and quite exotic entertainments. Definately her sort of place.

The sudden appearance of the new guy didn't surprise Neva so much as his sense of style, and her eyes roamed the tall male's form as Adam threw a quick sideways glance at him. Neva's eyes narrowed slightly at the man's use of the word "us", wondering just whether or not he expected to get involved. Impossible. Ava had not spoken of anyone else... Although. If he proved useful...

She looked at Adam, the red-head of which seemed completely unperturbed by the new guy's appearance, leaning back on his couch with a small yawn. "Eavesdropping is a bad habit." He said, actually not sounding all that bothered about it.

A few moments of silence passed, in which only the mumble of voices from the other couple of people in the room could be heard. The opening of the door made Neva glance, and she smiled slightly as Ava slipped through, quickly making her way over to them.

Adam had also watched the scientists approach with an ever so slight narrowing of the eyes, and he watched her quietly when she seated herself next to him. He merely smiled at her greeting, shrugging evasively at her following question. Even her sudden move and closeness brought no real reaction from him, except for a slight raising of one brow and the appearance of a small smile as her fingers traced the skin on his chest. Neva pointedly rolled her eyes here and turned her gaze to one of the other men in the room.

"That sounds interesting enough." He murmered in response, his voice quiet, inhaling that peculiar smoky fragrance that emanated from the woman's hair and tracing one finger across those silvery strands. "But tell me. What exactly is it you require?"

~~~

Maya had gone back to watching Angel, the little girl of which was still currently trying to fit an entire strawberry in her mouth. She glanced up at Dravius when he spoke, laughing under her breath when he took his daughters strawberry and promptly ate just over half of it. Angel, naturally, responded to his stealing with an indignant "dah", pulling herself up to stand on her dads lap, trying to get at her fruit. Unfortunately, even sat down, Dravius' face was far too high for Angel to reach it.

Almost as soon as Dravius gave the little girl her strawberry back, she promptly pressed the rest of it into her mouth and sat down again, trying to resist her father's sudden interet in her hair, and failing miserably.

She eventually stood again, grasping hold of Daddy's shirt again to try and keep herself upright. It was proving quite difficult to stand up on his legs, and the baby wobbled around as she suddenly turned her attention to her fathers face; Little wings flapping around in an attempt to try and help her get her balance, little hands pulling on his shirt collar.

"Dah," She gurgled, faceplanting his chest as she tried to rearrange her feet under her. Her next "Dah" was somewhat muffled.

Maya had watched the baby's antics with a smile, giggling at the Co-Master's words. "Huh. Never have a plan?" She laughed. "That sounds about right. For you." The blonde gently hit her boyfriend in the arm. "And pff. You should make a new Brandon anyway... Mine's not exactly all that young anymore... He's getting awfully worn down, and I'm not really willing to throw him away. And I'm sure you'd enjoy building blocks."

She threw the dark haired male a teasing grin, then turned her attention back to her fruit.

Karene, still sat with both elbows resting on the back of her chair, had also watched Angel's continued attempts at Dravius' face with a smile, looking at Selvai when he spoke to her. "That wouldn't surprise me." She sighed. "I've gone quite a while without being ill. I was bound for it, I guess." She shrugged, using a hand to push a few strands of caramel behind an ear. Selvai's suggestion made her raise her eyebrows, and she glanced out of the food van window.

"Perhaps you're right." She agreed. "It might be an idea to get to my van now before it starts throwing it down." She gestured towards the window. The overcast sky had become suddenly dark, and off in the horizon was a huge black cloudbank, flashes of white revealing the oncoming lightening. "Looks like we'll have a storm sooner than later."

"Oh, great." Maya sighed, frowning lightly at the window. Rain was one thing, a storm was something else entirely.

It was about then Adriel arrived, and Karene quickly greeted her before standing. "I think we're all quite well here." She replied. "Well. I'll get going. I'll see you over there a little later." She said, planting a quick kiss on her husband's forehead before stepping past Adriel and out of the door. Maya had, at Adriel's words, been giving the short haired woman a shrewd look.

She shook her head, making a point of reminding herself later to ask Adriel about this "something" she had sorted. Quickly stroking a few strands of black away from Angel's face, the blonde stretched, then sighed. "I should probably follow Karene's example." She said, throwing another look at the window, frowning. "... That looks like it's going to be one hell of a storm... I'd rather not get caught out in it." She stared at the window, then sank in her chair slightly. "I hate getting caught out in the wet." She grumbled.

The imposing man had been standing impassively behind Adam, the brim of his hat throwing a deep shadow over his face and darkening his eyes. Shaking the collar of his dress shirt away from his wrist, he checked a very expensive-looking watch, then raised an eyebrow at Ava's behaviour. Gracious. She certainly was...eager.

And seemed to be lacking a bit in the class department. Which was worrying. For her, at least. The man, whose name happened to be one that none knew, placed a hand on his chin contemplatively, glancing away from the nearly upsetting display playing out before him. He rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth being tugged down.

He checked his watch again, regardless of the fact that it never moved. Nor did it have numbers on the face, but rather small words. All three hands of the watch were stuck firmly at "Tea Time," and the man sighed to himself, shaking his head slowly.

"I suspect that Adam hasn't come to work with you once again is because he wouldn't be able to focus on his work, with all your charms." The man smiled, showing just a little bit of teeth, and took one of Ava's hand in his own, doing his best to break some of the physical contact between Adam and her, pressing his thin lips to the back of her hand for a moment.

"I am known as Hare." The man added, bowing slightly then straightening up. "And I am of the belief that if you have a job for us, it would be in everyone's best intrests to save small talk, however enthralling, for a bit later, Madam." Hare's smile had become slightly spiteful, and he tugged a pocket watch out of his waistcoat, sighing at the hands stopped on "Late". "You see?" He offered the timepiece for Ava's inspection, the gold chain held loosely in his fingers.

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

Dravius sighed quietly, avoiding the stream of "dah"s coming from Angel, smirking slightly at the small child and her best attempts to reach his face. At the mention of a storm, he furrowed his brows for a moment and glanced out the window. See? He had wanted to bring the kitty umbrella, but nooooo, it wasn't gonna rain.

It was totally going to pour. And the kitty umbrella would have been useful. Dravius smirked at no one in particular, as Karene left. He promptly forgot to wave or say goodbye to the carmel-haired woman, but glanced up to find her gone, a flash of confusion at her replacement being Adriel.

Things sorted? Dravius tilted his head to the side, thin brows knit together. What sort of things sorted. A questioning look came over him, and he felt the need to ask her about it. Not at this point, though. Taking a glance at Maya, he decided that she would want to know, and that instead of asking, he'd find it out from her.

At his girlfriend's grumbling, Dravius grinned and said, "Well, perhaps you should have brought the umbrella I suggested. Then you wouldn't have to worry about it." He shrugged his shoulders, a teasing expression aimed towards the young woman. "I love running about in the rain, but then again I haven't any wings." He shrugged at stared at the stormy sky, yawning hugely after he finished his sentence. "It'll be a bummer if we all get mired inside, though."

The Co-Master pouted slightly, popping another strawberry into his mouth, and moving it out of the way in order to say, "You could borrow some of Disera's scandalous reading material."

Smirking, Ava leaned back, taking a drag from her cigarette before replying to Adam's questions. "I need to deal with some wayward test subjects. But I can't take care of all of them with just myself and Neva, no matter how talented the young lady may be." Turning her head, the silver haired woman flicked her eyes over the odd man as he stepped forward and pulled her free hand away from Adam. "Hello, Hare," she replied flatly. Ava tugged her hand away, draping it over Adam's shoulder. "Well, I don't know about that," she drawled. "I happen to know Adam can be very focused, when properly motivated.

She resisted the urge to smack the ridiculous watch out of Hare's hand, settling for blowing a smoke ring in the man's direction. "Considering I haven't fully explained everything, Hare, I fail to see how you can be late for anything." Leaning into Adam's side, she lightly scratched her nails over the man's shoulder blade through his shirt, over a tattoo of a venomous spider she remembered being there. "Such an odd companion you've found here, Adam. But, that's besides the point. I plan to destroy the Majikus circus from the inside out. And I need your assistance."

-----

"Well, I suppose I will go back to the van with Karene, then. There is not much else for me to do at the moment," Selvai said. Standing, he nodded to Dravius, Maya, and Adriel. "I shall see you all later."

Adriel watched the magician leave the van, then turned back to Maya and Dravius. She hadn't missed the look the butterfly had thrown her way when she'd told them what she'd been doing, and Maya more than likely had some what it meant. Stretching her arms, Adriel waited for a moment, looking at Dravius before speaking. "You can go ahead and ask, Maya. It's just you, me, Dravius and Angel here, and I'm sure those two can keep a secret."

Adam had been closely watching Ava, awaiting the response to his earlier question regarding just what it was she wanted; Though his gaze was immediately pulled elsewhere by Hare's sudden intrusion. Okay what was he doing. The red-head watched the tall man's interaction with his ex, an eyebrow slightly raised. Honestly, this guy... He was just going to cause problems like this.

Neva, who had still had most of her attention elsewhere, had looked back at the two on the couch in front of her when she caught sight of the black haired man's movements. Her burgundy eyes narrowed at his words, and she cleared her throat quietly.

"You seem to think you'll already be joining us." She said in her strangely sensual voice; A steely edge notable behind that tone. "I'm sorry. But I believe Ava asked me here to speak only to Adam. She never mentioned anyone else." The dark haired woman's gaze was almost smouldering; Torn between slight irritation and a vague curiousity at the peculiar male. She eventually pulled her gaze back to Ava, who had got around to answering Adam's question.

The red-head's expression had barely changed throughout his ex's explanation, although there was a faintly amused sound deep in his throat. "Interesting." He murmered. He seemed to slip into thought, only barely listening to Ava's words to Hare. He wasn't even going to bother trying to explain anything to that man. His peculiar nature was a little hard to get through at the best of times. He sighed quietly through his nose, glancing at Ava when she moved closer, feeling the womans nails scrape over his shoulderblade, his eyes unreadable.

"If that's the case." He said suddenly, shrugging and closing his eyes, leaning back slightly against the back of the couch. "I suppose I should help you out. It'll be a break from the norm, if nothing else." Adam smiled slightly, a somewhat chilling sort of smile. "You should probably tell us what you are planning, however." The red-head shrugged, then gently moved Ava off of him so that he was able to stand, his height almost matching that of Hare.

"You'll have to pardon him. Although. I believe that you should consider Hare's suggestion." The male said, as Neva stared at him with a strange face; Still halfway curious. "Despite his... Eccentricities, he may prove useful to you." The red-head directed towards Ava, before heading off towards the bar in the dimly lit room. He spent a few quiet minutes speaking with the barman, before heading back towards the group; The red cobra on his chest almost seeming to move as the bare light flickered over him.

"So." He started, eyes suddenly alight with a peculiar sort of anticipation; His penetrating gaze on the silver haired woman. "What do you have in mind."

~~~

Maya had been staring forlornly at the window with a pout, before sticking her tongue out in Dravius' direction; A slight smile following the expression. "Pff. I doubt an umbrella would help all that much. Let alone that gaudy little kitty one you have." She giggled slightly, watching as Angel; Who had finally got bored of trying to reach her dads nose, sat heavily in his lap with a quiet hiccup.

"And I know you do." The blonde shrugged, her gaze falling back to the window. "I don't mind it... Really... I guess. It's just uncomfortable when my wings get wet. Although, I guess that's not really it either... I suppose it's the butterfly in me." Maya smiled. "Butterflies aren't suited to wet weather."

Stretching her arms, the blonde then turned her attention back to her fruit, managing to eat another few pieces before realising that Angel had a serious case of the hiccups. Probably all that stuffing her face she had been doing five minutes ago. Smiling, Maya shook her head slightly. "Eh... We can find something to do. I usually do, when it rains... Not to mention Angel might keep us busy. And no thanks. I've got my own books to finish."

The butterfly gently patted Dravius' on the arm. "And I don't know if I can handle THAT sort of reading." She laughed, watching Selvai as he left. "Bye, Selvai."

Exhaling through her nose, Maya then turned her gaze back to Adriel when the dark haired woman spoke, throwing a quick glance at Dravius before raising her eyebrows. "... All right... But if you know what I'm going to ask, why not just answer anyway." She smiled, glancing quickly at the window at the sudden sound of thunder.

Angel, still hiccuping, looked around, slightly alarmed. She hadn't exactly been through that many thunderstorms, being only ten months old, and she was clearly startled by it; Making small, indistinct frightened noises.

"Uh-oh... Uh." The blonde stared, then sighed dramatically. "All right, Adriel. Go on, what were you doing?" She asked with a slight smile. "Quickly!... I'd like to get to my van before it starts raining." She added, trying to reassure her daughter by stroking the little girl's hair with a few slender fingers.

Hare gave no response to Ava's subtle insults, aside from the slight jump of a muscle beneath one of his eyes. He cleared his throat and adjusted his red silk tie, irritation showing in his dark eyes. He slipped the watch back into his waistcoat pocket, letting the chain hang in a loop from where it was fastened. With Neva's words, the muscular man turned his head to regard her, eyes sweeping up and down again. His face betrayed no emotion, an impassive mask of slight smarminess.

The tall man bowed stiffly from the waist and said, "Pardon my failure to announce my intention. Your words have piqued my interest. I can only stand so much of an endless teatime before I go even madder." A smirk dragged his lips up, but Hare's eyes stayed cold, and his fingers curled around something in his trouser pocket. The item, was in fact, another watch, this one running in a normal fashion. Although all of his watches told time, but this one ran on a sort of time that other people actually adhered to. It was also a gift.

At Adam's disappearance, Hare cleared his throat and gestured overe his shoulder to one of the men in the room, who promptly turned and vanished. With another flick of his hand, a second figure slipped out of the room. The second man returned before his fellow, bearing a cane topped with a silver handle and a pair of white gloves. Hare flipped the man a coin and waved his hand to dismiss him.

The second figure returned with a silver tea tray, laden with fine china and small amount of food. Hare sat down in a chair, crossing one leg over the other and taking a teacup and saucer off of the tray. Nonchalantly taking a sip from the cup, he spared a glance as Adam came back, rising briefly to acknowledge that he had re-entered. Sitting back down after a moment, he directed his attention to the two women sitting more or less across from him, his eyes hooded.

Hare's expression was fairly neutral as he sipped his tea, steam coiling from the surface of the liquid. He checked his wristwatch once again as he waited for the less alluring woman to begin, satisfied that he was on time according to it. Teatime would have been more enjoyable had Ava not been trying to turn into another time entirely.

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

Dravius rolled his eyes in a teasing fashion at Maya, wrapping his arms around the gently hiccuping child in his lap, tucking a loose lock of hair behind Angel's ear, chuckling softly at the child's confusion at the fact that she had them.

At the thunder, he flicked his gaze towards the windows in time to catch a faint flash, smiling slightly. Dravius really did love rain of any sort, but internally he was hoping it didn't get too thundery, because then it wouldn't be an awesome idea to hang around outside. Might get a bit dangerous.

The young man wrapped his arms around a frightened Angel, doing his best to comfort the child, pecking a kiss on her cheek and murmering, "Hey, just some lights and sounds. You're fine." Straightening back up and squeezing the child for a moment, he began to get to his feet, but relaxed back into his seat at Maya's insistence that they listen to Adriel, snatching the last bit of fruit off of the plate, slipping it into his mouth and smiling slightly, although he jumped slightly at the next crack of thunder.

SELVAI. WHY YOU KEEP DISAPPEARING. >8(

"Mmm. I'm glad to hear that," she said when the red head agreed to help. "I'm sure it will be stimulating to work together once again." Ava smirked in amusement at Neva's response to Hare. "Now, Neva. Let's give the mad hatter a chance. I doubt Adam would bother with his company if he weren't somehow useful," the silver haired woman said, although her tone was slightly condescending as she looked over at Hare.

"Of course. I don't intend to have the lot of you work blind," the scientist told him. Ava shifted a bit when Adam stood up from the couch, crossing one leg over the other. The silver haired woman looked up at Adam, her lips curving in a dark smile of her own. She took a drag from her cigarette as Adam stepped out of the room, watching as the two men set up the absurd little tea party for Hare. When the oddly dressed man directed his attention in her direction, Ava met his eyes with a flat look, not speaking again until Adam came back into the room.

Ava stood from the couch, resisting the childish urge to flick what was left of her cigarette into Hare's tea, instead snuffing it out in an ash tray left on an end table near the couch. "What I have in mind, is to destroy those subjects who escaped from the facility not long ago," she told him. "But first, I want them to suffer, to be terrified. That's why I'm tracking down their family members outside of the circus and... dealing with them. It's also why I need your assistance. I've managed to eliminate two of them so far, but I expect this next one to be more of a challenge. She's a magician, you see."

-----

"I thought I'd give you a chance to ask, at least," Adriel explained with a shrug. She jumped slightly in her seat at the unexpected crack of thunder. "Right. Remember that talk we had awhile ago? About me, and Raphael? Well, I finally had that talk with him. He didn't say no, but he did say that he needs time." The dark haired woman paused as thunder sounded again, louder than the previous strikes. "And now, I'm going to let you guys get this little one out of the storm, and make a run for my own van." She smiled at the hiccuping Angel, waving at the little girl. "I'll see you guys later, kay?"

This man was peculiar. Neva knew that just by looking at him. Afterall, these days, not many people went around dressed like that guy; And his smarmy attitude and constant rantings about the time grated on her nerves. Still. Adam had said that Hare could be useful... Well. The dark haired woman could only take that to mean that this man had some sort of useful ability. Of course, he wouldn't be much use at all if that wasn't the case.

She sat, legs crossed, her chin resting on a hand as she surveyed the dark haired stranger, only removing her gaze temporarily to watch Adam leave the room. Of course, she turned her eyes back just in time to watch Hare's seemingly random display of... Well. Skill?... Did he do that?... Or did those men have some peculiar abilities too?... Whatever it was, Neva raised her eyebrows slightly in curiousity.

She continued this way up until Hare started enjoying his tea, which of course provided very little else in the way of entertainment, and Neva finally looked back over at Ava. The woman had to roll her eyes slightly at the silver haired womans' words to give Hare a chance, despite the fact she caught the slightly mocking tone in the other womans voice. It was about then Ava began her explanation.

The red-head still stood, arms crossed loosely as his attention rivited entirely on the silver haired scientist. The blood red cobra tattoo was barely visible over the slightly open front of his shirt, and there was some form of barbed vines circling one of his wrists. The male had remained almost impassive at the scientists words, although one eyebrow quirked slightly by the time she had finished.

Huh. It wasn't often specimens usually got away from Ava... "... I see." He murmered, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's not just a case of them getting away though, is it?" He asked, his strangely soft voice curious. "It is not like you at all to focus so much on escapee subjects... At least... Not so much on people who have only got away from you. They must have caused a hell of a lot of trouble for you to want to go that far."

The tall male paused, then shrugged, keeping his mouth closed as Ava went on to outline a little of what she had already accomplished. He remained silent for a moment as she finished, then exhaled through his nose. "All right. I'll follow your lead."

~~~

Maya had been waiting almost on tenterhooks for Adriel to reveal what it was she had been so chuffed about, although she didn't fail to notice the sudden roar of thunder; Sounding much closer to the Circus than it had done five minutes ago. The blonde threw a quick look at the window, then back at Adriel when the darker haired woman started speaking.

The butterfly barely had time to respond to Adriel's first question before the woman had continued, and Maya tried desperately to not smile too much at her words. Exactly as she had guessed then, although she thought it peculiar that Raphael had said he needed to think about it. Of course, she then reminded herself of that talk she'd had with him a few weeks ago... It made sense, she supposed. Still. Adriel had finally got it together enough to mention it.

"You actually spoke to him about it?" Maya laughed. "I've been telling you to do that for weeks. And that's good, right?"

Still smiling somewhat, the blonde's expression faltered slightly at the dark haired womans words, and Maya had to throw another quick glance out of the window. It was about then another crack of thunder sounded, and the little girl in Dravius' arms gave little squeal of surprise, before finally bursting into tears, clinging fearfully to her fathers shirt.

"Oh, all right. See you later, Adriel." Maya said, stroking Angel's hair for a moment before frowning at the door. "Right... We should probably follow everyone else's example." She directed towards Dravius, looking sympathetically at her frightened daughter before heading for the door. She made her way swiftly towards her van, not quite able to avvoid the sudden deluge of rain; Although she didn't get too wet. Leaving the door open for Dravius, the blonde flopped into the soft chair in the corner, running her fingers lightly through the damp strands of gold that fell over one shoulder. Great. Stupid weather.

~~~

Karene had, upon reaching her van, immedaitely set up a kind of plain awning over the van door so that she could watch the storm without needing to be outside. Sure, she would have preferred it sunny, or even just clear, but there was something strangely comforting about watching the rain from the shelter of an overhang.

The magician sat on her van stairs with her arms around her knees, an open book on the step beside her. It was a good thing she'd checked on those spells and wards earlier. The thought of going out in this now made her shudder slightly.

Shaking her head, the caramel haired woman stretched her arms, then smiled slightly at the approach of Selvai, who had arrived just in time to avoid the downpour, which almost immediately started about then. "Well, hello. You've got an impeccable sense of timing." She laughed, watching the rain splash and break on the strands of green of the Circus grounds. "Guess there's not much to do other than watch all this, huh?" She grumped, gesturing to the sheet of water beyond the awning.

MAYA YOUR WEBSITE IS A WHORE.

Hare had sat impassively in his seat, although the look he was giving Ava was not a pleasant one. He was staring down his nose and over the rim of his teacup. At the woman's comments, his grip tightened on both the cup and the saucer, and his lips thinned as he pressed them together. This woman positively OOZED promiscuity. It was practically a scent that hung on her skin. What sort of woman would conduct herself in that fashion, aside from the harlots that ocasionally used the bar's extra rooms for less-than-honest work.

Finishing the liquid in his cup, as it had gone quite tepid, Hare placed both item of china back on the silver tray still held by the unfortunate man standing slightly behind his seat. Coughing quietly into a bright red hankerchief tugged from the pocket of his trousers, he sighed softly through his nose, although he smirked at Ava's description of what she wanted done.

Served her right. The muscled man wiped the smirk off of his face with a slight clearing of his throat, allowing a smile to reach his eyes before he composed himself, flicking a glance at a clock on the wall, whose hands were all spinning out of control, not to mention not all of them were going the same direction.

Shaking his head minutely at the clock, Hare got to his feet, taking his gloves and cane from the man holding them and waved him away with an impatient look. With a frustrated stare at the wildly spinning clock, rolling his eyes then saying, in a soft voice, "What a lovely story, madam, and please, lead the way as we leave. Much appreciated." His voice held a deadpan note, as he was still carrying a hint of smirk on his lips.

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

Dravius had been looking at Adriel, more than a bit confused by her answer. Tell him about what. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then an inkling of comprehension entered his thoughts, and he raised one eyebrow into the hair above his eyes, a slightly quizzical expression on his face.

At the second crash of thunder Dravius jumped, but it wasn't caused by the thunder as much as it was caused by Angel's fright. He tsked quietly and offered a "shhhhhh" in comfort, squeezing her gently in order to add some reassurance.

At Adriel's abrupt exit, Dravius waved a hand, not really having time to get out a proper goodbye, but shrugging slighty to himself, still doing his best to comfort Angel, pressing the little girl against his chest in a hug.

When Maya announced her desire to leave, Dravius got to his feet after her and tilted his head to the side. It was already raining, but if she wanted to make a run for it, he was unwilling to argue against it. He did love the rain after all, but Angel didn't seem to be fond of it at all at this point.

The young man exited the van and walked into the downpour, swiftly breaking into a run, curving himself over Angel to try and keep her just a bit drier, although with mixed results.

Once inside his own van once again, Dravius shook his head like a dog, spraying water in every which direction. When his head stopped moving, he grinned at Maya, hair plastered across his face from both his movement and the moisture in his hair. "Well, not too bad, then?"

Crossing the room, he tugged a few towels into the open and tossed one at Maya, wrapping his daughter in another. Dravius' usually pale face had colour to it from the slight chill of the rain, and he brushed his hair out of his face with one hand, still smiling slightly.

((OH LOOK. Disera didn't post.))

No. Noooo. She didn't like this at ALL. It was too loud way too loud, and crash-y. It was terrible, absoloutely terrible, and Angel's obvious on-edge sobbing continued; Despite her father's attempt to calm her down. The little girl kept her hands firmly clasping the blue material of Dravius' shirt, her face wet with frightened tears. The sudden move of her father did nothing to quiet her nerves, although the sudden jostling of his running distracted her attention from the loud sounds of thunder for a few moments.

Upon entering the van, Angel let out a quiet string of sobbing, which eventually ebbed away to be replaced by snuffling. She had, unfortunately, got somewhat wet as she had been carried back here, though she kept her face firmly pressed against her fathers somewhat drier chest.

Another crack of thunder set her off crying again, although this bout lasted far less than the first had, and quickly died off into a very discontent pout.

It had only been a few minutes earlier when Maya had managed to reach the safety of her van, the blonde of which was still situated in her corner chair, running her fingers through the golden strands above her eyes. Dravius entrance didn't force her gaze towards him, although she did glance when he shook his head. Her stared at him for a minute, snorted quietly, then shook her head. "Next time, use a towel." She suggested sweetly, staring for a moment at the droplets of water that now resided on the van floor.

She shook her head again, turning her gaze to watch Angel carefully as the little girl slowly recovered from the shock of the severe weather. A flash of lightening illuminated the grounds outside the window, and Maya threw a quick glance at the glass as the rumble of thunder followed. Her attention had still been focused there when a towel promptly landed on her head.

Moving it, the butterfly winged woman placed the fluffy material around her shoulder; eyebrows lifting slightly at Dravius' words. "Not too bad?" She said. "Not too bad?"

Standing up, the blonde padded over to the open door, and stood there for a moment. "Pff. It's positively a waterfall out there. What do you mean, "not too bad"?" The blnode pff'd again, getting close enough to Dravius to punch him in the arm, then dancing quickly out of his way, laughing. Angel by this point, had calmed considerably, despite the odd snuffle, the dark haired girl bundled up in the towel her father had wrapped her in.

"You get too happy with this sort of weather." Maya said suddenly, rooting around in one of the bedside drawers. "I mean... It's just so.... Wet." She paused, then looked archly over at her boyfriend's grinning face before turning back to the drawer. She pulled out a book, before pausing, then pulling out a small, dark istrument.

"Oh, hey." She said with a smile, straightening up and holding out the carved, ebony harmonica towards Dravius. "Have you managed to have a go of this yet?" She asked curiously, watching the glint of the silver name on the front of the dark toned instrument in the light of the van. She still hadn't heard him play it, and, in truth, it had been something she had been rather looking forward to; Up until the following events, which of course, destroyed everything after that.

Picking up her book, the blonde sat herself on the bed, a couple of feet away from Dravius, holding out the still brand new instrument with a smile.

Angel, barely visible above the fluff of the towel that encased her, blinked at her mother, before snuggling back into her towel, her eyes on the nearby Brandon; Still looking rough from her earlier play.

Selvai hurried after Karene, reaching their van just before the storm broke. The stripe haired man stepped under the awning covering the door just as the first drops of rain began to fall. "Thankfully. I would not want to be caught out in that," he said, gesturing to the heavy downpour just beyond the steps.

Moving past Karene, he perched on the edge of the bed to unlace and pull off his shoes, sitting them to the side out of the way. Selvai pulled one a book from one of the shelves, and joined Karene on the steps, careful not to jostle her book with his feet. "You could go back to your book," he suggested, flipping his own open. "Or watch the lightening, if you're already tired of reading."

-----

Ava gritted her teeth, focusing on breathing calmly and evenly. "No, it isn't," she said in response to Adam's question. The silver haired woman lifted one hand to her jaw, remembering the pain and embaressment of the broken jaw she'd suffered thanks to Dravius Wolfe. A dark look passed over her face, and the scientist dropped her hand back to her side. "They were a troublesome group," she said flatly.

The silver haired woman glared at Hare and his stupid smirk, and wondered for a moment if Adam would be terribly upset if the odd man met with an unfortunate incident after the were finished with the Majikus. "Thank you," she told Adam. "Let's get on with it, then," the scientist told them, stepping toward the door. "From what I've learned of our next target, she tends to move from place to place at random. I don't want to lose track of her again."

-----

Dravius grinned as Maya walked to the door, running a hand through his hair again, saying softly, "Yeah, I know it is. Waterfalls are awesome!" He had a rather childish, open quility to his face, grinning as widely as he possibly could.

As his girlfriend rooted around in a drawer, seemingly in search of something, Dravius stared out the door, rubbing the towel over Angel's arms and face gently as he did so. Too happy? No such thing. Rain was fantastic. The Co-Master loved everything about it, from the sound to the smell that hung in the air just before the skies opened up.

The slightly metallic scent was drifting in through the open door right now, and it made Dravius want to run outside and roll around in a few puddles. Or something like that. He turned his head towards Maya as words drifted across the van, blinking a few times to center his concentration.

"I haven't, actually." Dravius tilted his head and padded towards Maya, setting himself on the bed next to her, and gently taking the harmonica out of her hands, settling Angel down gently in between himself and the young woman.

The Co-Master ran his fingers over his name in the dark surface, before putting it gently to his lips and blowing softly, producing one clear note. He seemed almost surprised at the sound that came out of it, murmuring, "That's an E..."

Dravius' expression of pure joy at the rain had changed into one of curious concentration, and he studied the instrument with in intensity in his gaze. Slowly he tried a few more notes, eyebrows raising slightly at every noise that occured, muttering the correct note that was produced, and suddenly glanced up at Maya, grinning at her.

"This is so cool!" Dravius smiled, a grin stretching across his face, the harmonica held in both his hands. He tested another note, drawing in breath to produce a different sound, smiling in pure excitement at having a new instrument to mess around with.

((Okay... Disera didn't exactly give me a lot to go on here... O_O So... Improvisation!))

Well. That figured. Adam's assumption that something more had gone on with Ava and her escapees had hit the mark. Afterall, he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't have bothered unless something REALLY got her riled. And with Ava, that something would have had to have been pretty drastic.

Exhaling quietly through his nose, the red-head kept his gaze resoloutely on his silver haired ex, catching the glare she directed at Hare before sighing quietly. Not many people did seem to understand his peculiar companion. Although, perhaps peculiar was an understatment. Still, if Ava was dead set on accomplishing what she'd set out to do, then his presence certainly wouldn't go amiss.

At the scientists sudden movement, Adam watched her pass without much change in expression, then threw a quick look at Hare; Before following, hands in his jean pockets. "Hm. I take it you know her current location, however." He mused, slipping through the door into the main bar, the sudden brightness a sheer contrast to the back room as Neva followed after.

It was only a day or so later when the small group eventually came to a stop in another town, this one far larger than the town Adam had originally resided in. They currently stood on a busy street, absoloutely bustling with activity due to the market a couple of streets away. Adam stood with his arms crossed, the red cobra tattoo on his chest barely visible through the white shirt he wore.

"Well." He said, speaking to Ava; his gaze on the colourful stalls in the distance. "Where exactly is this mystery magician of yours?"

~~~

"You very nearly did." Karene laughed in response to her husband;s words, watching the sheet of water that was currently hitting the ground so hard it almost looked as though it was raining twice. The drops rebounded on the van roof's back into the air, the thudding incredibly loud for what was only water.

The caramel haired woman leant back on her van stairs, elbows resting on the stair behind her. She leant aside slightly as Selvai passed her, then went back to watching the rain from the safety of her awning, her eyes lost in thought as she watched the terrible weather.

The return of her husband caused her to shift again slightly, eyes flickering to the sky as a huge flash of nearby lightening illuminated the grounds. It was, she admitted, rather surprising to note how dark the clouds had made the day. The following rumble of thunder cracked suddenly out of the dark, and the woman elbowed Selvai when he settled into place next to her.

"Pff. Watching lightening." She laughed. "It's only fun for so long." Karene quickly picked up her book, placed the bookmark between the pages, then closed it with a quiet snap before placing it on her knee. "Nah. Let's talk for a while." She suggested, promptly taking Selvai's book off of him, and placing it on top of hers. She threw her husband a disarming sort of smile. "There's not much else to do on a day like this. Unless, you know, you'd rather read." She waved his book at him, then held it out of reach. "You'll have to take it off me, though." She grinned.

~~~

Dravius' sudden childish excitement had Maya rolling her eyes. Honestly. He had a childish streak wide enough to park a bus on, andthe blonde wasn't entirely certain whether or not that was a good thing. Even the birth of Angel hadn't seemed to knock out the Co-Masters easily excitable nature.

Still sat on the bed, Maya watched in silence as Dravius seated himself on the bed next to her, depositing a towel-cacooned Angel between them, and taking the dark instrument out of her hands. The baby, who had still been staring hungrily at Brandon, made her displeasure known as she was quite suddenly isolted from the giant plush. "Ban," She said, loudly, falling over and disappearing under her towel. "Ban!"

Maya giggled quietly at the lumpy towel wriggling around next to her, her gaze returning to Dravius when he tried out a note on the harmonica. She smiled softly at his murmering, finding his interest in such instruments slightly amusing. The Co-Master's sheer interest in such things always made him look peculiarly content, and it was very much the same with his art. The joy the young man could gain from his music never failed to make Maya happy. She did, after all, enjoy seeing him like this.

His sudden grin was one the blonde returned with no effort at all, seeing as she had already been smiling at the look on her boyfriends face as he tried out the soft flowing notes of the harmonica.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it." Maya laughed. "It wasn't a wasted effort then, all that time I spent looking for something you hadn't played before."

Angel, still somewhere under the fluff of the towel on the bed, managed eventually to get herself free of the material, her braided hair frizzy with it's previous contact with the soft towel. The loud rumbling of thunder had gone almost unnoticed under the stunning tones her father was creating with that thing he was holding, and the little girl was looking at it with wide, blue eyes.

"Dah," She stated importantly, reaching out for the instrument in her dads hands, still wrapped firmly in her towel. She eventually realised she wasn't going anywhere fast, ended up back under the towel, and began a random string of "Dah's" and "Ban's" that made Maya laugh.

The blonde had watched her daughter for a moment, before lifting the bundle up, scooting up so that she was sat directly next to Dravius, then placed Angel between her crossed legs. "You know. You're really rather talented with that sort of thing." She murmered, eyeing the harmonica. "It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you grasp the use of any instrument." The blonde stared at Dravius for a minute, then laughed. "I love you." She said suddenly, smiling at him.

Hare had stood with his toes tappng inside of his shoe, the shoes themselves not moving, but the small output of energy helping to stop the man from screaming out loud at the sluggishness displayed by all gathered there.

Tugging on the white gloves, the muscular man examined the silver top of his cane, which was cast to resemble a rabbit, the two tall ears set far enough apart to settled his middle finger in between. It was not a rabbit that you would want to cuddle, the expression on it's face a mixture of rage and disgust, as far as a rabbit's face could go towards expressing those emotions.

Tapping the equally silver tip of the cane against the wooden floor a few times, a cross look flickering across his face as they all left.

The new town the group had reached wasn't quite up to Hare's rather impossible standards, and he stood next to Adam with his bright red hankerchief over his mouth and nose, a slightly disgusted look on his visible features.

The only change in his appearance had been the texture of his waistcoat, which now bore vertical grey pinstripes, and his tie, which seemed to have grown tiny embroidered rabbits. Hare was actually in a somewhat better mood, as the hands of his pocketwatch had decided that it struck their fancy to move back to rest upon "Running a bit behind". Which, while not ideal, was better than a resounding "Late".

At the mention of a magician, Hare's fingers tightened on the head of his cane, and his jaw clenched simultaniously. He hated magicians. Ever since he met one that decided, for fun, to force all of his clocks off, and no amount of coaxing could get them running properly again. Time should be constant, but magicians had the ability to make it not so.

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

"Well, you certainly exceeded, and I really love it." Dravius tilted his head to the side as he said so, gently lifting the harmonica out of reach of Angel's short arms, smirking slightly at the toddler's attempts to wriggle free of the towel, most unsuccessful.

At Maya's sudden scooting, the young man took the istrument away from his face, blinking in slight surprise at her words. Dravius wasn't really of the opinion that he was better at picking up instruments than anyone else, and stared at the harmonica cradled in his hands for a moment, although any attention he was directing towards it vanished at Maya's sudden words.

Smiling crookedly, Dravius slipped the harmonica into his pocket and leaned over, wrapping his arms around Maya and murmering, "I love you too. To the moon and back." Dravius snuggled Maya for what could be called an excessive amount of time.

Leaning back, Dravius noticed the interest that Angel was showing in the tattered Brandon, the young man resolved to make a new one for the young girl, before the original was literally loved to shreds. He didn't feel quite like digging through fabric to find enough of anyone colour to make a big enough butterfly.

"Hey, love, I'll get you a new Brandon, so you don't kill Mommy's, alrighty?" He addressed the little girl herself, tugging the hair band out of her braid, and finger combing the french braid into damp waves instead. Dravius then tried to wipe a drop of water off the girl's face with an equally wet sleeve, which actually did nothing.

Selvai grunted in surprise at the sudden appearence of Karene's elbow in his side. He returned the gesture with a gentle nudge of his own, smiling playfully at her. "Well, it can be entertaining, if you have nothing else to do." The magician paused as another bolt of lightening lit up the sky briefly, looking back at his wife when she stole the book out of his hands.

"Talk, hm?" he asked teasingly, quirking up one eyebrow at the sight of Karene's smile. "I am not opposed to that. And did you have any specific subject in mind, dear? Or did you want to discuss the storm we are currently having?" he joked. Leaning toward the dark haired woman, Selvai kissed her quickly on the cheek, before slipping one arm around her waist and tugging her close enough to take the book back with his other hand.

"Done," he said triumphantly, wagling the book at Karene before tossing it back into the van. "Any other challenges for me, my dear?" the magician asked with a wink.

-----

Ava stood with her arms crossed loosely over her chest, observing the people of the town as they milled about, excited about the market. She concentrated on sneering at the passing people instead of answering Adam's question. There was no need for them to know she had only managed to narrow down the woman's location to this town, but not a specific building. It would only take a bit of effort to find her, anyway.

"This way," Ava declared, stepping away from the odd group and shoving her way through the crowds of people to the outdoor market. The silver haired woman kept scanning the faces that passed by for her target, feeling bitter and angry when she managed to reach the first market stalls without seeing anyone who was even close to the description of the female magician. She had to stop herself from clenching her fists, instead scanning the buildings lining the street behind the stalls.

"Right. We'll wait there," Ava declared to the rest of the group, stalking over to a small, outdoor cafe on the other side of the street. She took a seat at one of the tables, back to the wall, so that she could watch the crowds of people as they moved between the brightly colored market stalls, a dark expression on her face. "I don't care, just bring me something cold to drink," she said dissmissively to the waiter who approached the table.

They had been sitting at the cafe long enough for the servers to become visibly nervous, shooting the odd group looks whenever one of them had to pass by their table, when a black haired, pony-tailed woman appeared, drifting from one stall to another, sometimes buying an item and plaing it into a pack she wore over one shoulder, more often simply speaking with the person overseeing the stall before moving on. Ava straightened slightly, smiling a dark, cruel smile as the woman made her way closer to the cafe.

"It's her," she said with barely contained glee. "The one with the dark hair and the backpack. Don't stare, we can't do anything yet, not with this crowd." Ava tracked the woman's movements until she left behind the market and headed for one of the far less busy side streets. Nodding to the others, the scientist stood from the table, casually throwing a few bills down before following.

The silver haired woman managed to track her target for several streets, making sure to keep far back enough so that she wouldn't suspect she was being followed. It managed to work very well, up to the point when they were far enough away from the market that they were no longer encountering other people on the small side street the magician had turned onto.

The woman in question stopped suddenly, spinning around to glare at the four in annoyance. "Alright, I'm really sick of this. Who are you, what do you want, and what makes you think stalking me is a good idea?"

Ava plastered her least frightening smile on her face, stepping forward to close the distance between them. "We simply want to discuss a few things with you, Ms. Mayoso. And, we need you to come with us now." The silver haired scientist lunged forward, grabbing Jemis' arm with a poison soaked hand. Her vicious smirk quickly turned into shocked anger as the limb, and the woman attached to it, crumbled into dirt and dust, leaving her with a small pile of soil and a filthy hand.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be doing that," came Jemis' voice from behind the group. The dark haired magician gave them a harsh look from where she appeared, making sure to put plenty of distance between herself and the four. "None of you seem to be magic users, so I have no idea why you'd be after me. But, that doesn't matter." Jemis shifted her weight to one foot, raising both hands in front of her. The sidewalk cracked underfoot, vines winding themselves out of the soil underneath, growing rapidly and sporting wicked looking thorns along their length. "You're not here for anything good, are you."

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