Le Cirque des Tenebres

[Pangolin]

Luke followed Callie's gaze to where Anya was inspecting some decorations and he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at Callie and barked out a laugh, surprised that no one had asked him that until now, "Oh my god, that was perfect." He said, going and wiping at his eyes, which had began to water with his intense laughter. Callie had looked horrified after what she had said which had made him laugh harder, "Whoo, I haven't laughed like that in awhile." He cleared his throat and looked back toward Anya, "Yes and no, is the short answer. She's always been like that, but not to this extent, it was easier to crack her shell before." He should know, he had done it the first time which had softened her until their falling out, her walls flew back up, harder and taller then ever.

Henry had wandered over to the grand tree and began helping place candles and ornaments. He gasped when someone, a short woman with horns on her head, swat at his hand and scolded him for his crooked placement. She continued to scold him for a minute but fell silence when Anya came toward them, checking tier progress. At the sight of her, she scurried away, to finish her own task. Henry watched the woman and turned to see Anya advancing toward them and he sighed. Was everyone afraid of her? He felt that that wasn't a good reaction from people, fear. He turned toward the tree again and fixed the candle he had apparently placed wrong.

[ashlinnrose]

Anya had arched an eyebrow at the short little horned woman, beginning to wonder how they had ever stumbled upon her. All it took was one look from her for the woman to run, as well she should Anya thought with a sigh. She almost turned to go back around the tree away from Henry, but changed her mind at the last minute and continued the path she had been on. "She is old and crazy. It was fine before," she murmured softly as she passed behind him, a flick of her fingers righting it to how it had been placed before. She fully intended to just continue passed him without any further statement, though he had every opportunity to start a conversation.

Callie maintained her mildly horrified look as Luke burst out laughing, but her expression turned somber when he started talking. "That's too bad... I wonder what made her like that or if anything can fix it," she murmured absently as she turned back to her task at hand with the ice sculptures. It certainly wasn't her business or her job to fix whatever was wrong with that woman, so it was silly to worry herself with it. She glanced back up again and leaned up on her toes to kiss Luke lightly on the cheek. "Go on and get started with those candles. Maybe if you finish soon enough we can spend some time together before the gates open," she smiled, letting him work out whatever potential meanings he wanted from that.

[Pangolin]

Henry cocked his head and watched as Anya put the candle back where he had it with a simple thought. Her powers fascinated him but he was afraid to admit that to her. He turned but she had began to walk away. He wanted to call out to her, stop her in her tracks, so he did, "Anya." He waited with his breath held until she turned to look at him. Now she was the one waiting, but he had no idea what to say to her or why he had even opened his mouth, "Thank you." He finally managed. Thank you for finding me, thank you for giving me a home, thank you for saving me, thank you for making me happy again, "Just... Thanks..."

Luke frowned as he gazed in the direction Anya had vanished. He didn't think anything could fix what he had broken. He blinked back into reality and looked down at Callie when she kissed him on the cheek. He grinned and winked at her, "Oh don't worry, I'll be back." He put his hands on either side of her face to draw her in and kissed her forehead before retreating. He headed toward the gates, lighting up small trees and candles along the walkways as he went. He spent the next 20 some minutes setting candles a flame before he arrived at the big tree, waiting for it to be finished so he could light the candles. He wanted to get his job done and go back to Callie.

[ashlinnrose]

Anya turned at the sound of her name, tilting her head to the side some as she watched him. It felt like an eternity that she was waiting there for him to say something more to her, so she was mildly disappointed when all he had to say was thank you. "Of course, Henry. That is the purpose of this cirque. To draw those in who would otherwise be outcast and give them a home," she stated with a small smile. "Keep up the good work decorating," she added after a moment before moving to continue around the tree. It was almost time for her to start her part of the decorating, as there was a point where no one could get the candles onto the tree because it got so tall. Besides, the tree topper wasn't actually a decoration, but another of her illusions: a star that would shift colors to match the tree that night. Finally, only about an hour before the gates were due to open the tree and all of the decorations were done. The candles were all lit thanks to Luke, everyone had put forth the effort to get the place ready for the holiday in time and the star at the top of the tree was glittering in the twilight. With a smile as she looked up at their handiwork, Anya turned to head back to her own tent to get changed for the performances that evening, glancing around as she did at the garlands of holly and even some mistletoe draped from tent to tent throughout the cirque.

Callie smiled as he went off to get his tasks accomplishing, finishing her own up as well. She had finally made enough of the little sculptures and had started hanging them from the awnings of the food carts and from some of the plaques that indicated what was inside each tent. Overall, when they had finished everything, the cirque was fantastically holiday-ish. She soon located Luke standing at the base of the large tree and moved to stand beside him, gazing up at the flickering candle lights and glittering star at the top. "Everything looks amazing... Though I think the most amazing thing is that the tree hasn't burned to the ground," she murmured as she looked up at all of the pretty colors and shining lights. The main tree was the only spot of color in the cirque and that night, to start things off, it was decorated in blues and silvers for winter.

[Pangolin]

Henry watched her walk away and considered what she said for a long time as he finished up helping deck out the big tree. He watched the tree light up and smiled a bit to himself, really enjoying that everyone put forward effort to make everything come together. That was one thing he really loved about the cirque. He wondered away as the crowd of actors dispersed and went to his performance tent. He inspected his tent as a way to pass the time until the gates opened for the night. He adjusted his suit jacket aimlessly as he waited.

Luke shook out his hands a bit and almost smacked Callie as she came to stand beside him. He grinned sheepishly at her and followed her gaze to the towering tree before them, "It's a yearly Christmas miracle." He told her as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He planted a kiss on her temple, "The tree reminds me of you." He told her, "Or maybe winder reminds me of you." He felt as if a lot of things made him think of her when she wasn't around. He hadn't felt like this about someone since, well, Anya. He wasn't going to declare his love for her just yet, but he could see himself loving her one day and that thought made him smile to himself.

Samantha watched the tree light up for the night but was one of the first to break away from everyone. Instead of going toward her tent, she headed toward the gates, seeing people begin to line up. She grasp the cold metal of the gates and peered through the wrought iron for a familiar face in the crown. She lit up when she saw him and snuck out of a side door that the ticker taker used. She casually walked up and slipped into the line beside Damien. She leaned her shoulder into his, nudging him, "Wait until you see the tree I made." She told him with a huge grin spread across her face.

[ashlinnrose]

Anya surprised even herself when she made her way towards Henry's tent, not sure why she was even bothering with how distant he had been since the little incident when he first joined. Not that she had put forth any more effort than he had, but still. "The suit looks nice," she murmured softly as she came up behind her. The entire cirque had dressed up that night for the opening of their holiday run. They typically picked one place to settle for the holiday season, so they didn't have to worry about moving the giant tree. She herself was in a gown of pure white, a sharp contrast to her jet black hair, with little blue stones adorning the bottom hem of the dress, managing to somewhat match the decorations for the night on the main tree. "I am sure you will have the audience's rapt attention, as usual," she added after a moment, her gaze directed off in some direction in the cirque instead of towards him.

Callie dodged his flailing hands some before letting out a laugh, leaning into him as he looped his arm around her. She was one of the few that wasn't overly dressed up, since it wouldn't matter as soon as she hit the water in her tent. The only real difference would be that her top was a bit more sparkly and there was a jeweled belt around her waist that would stay even with the shift. "Hmmm... It's because I'm so cold, right?" she teased a bit as she looked up at him. She hadn't anticipated such a strong connection with the person who was the most obviously her opposite in the entire company. Luckily for them, though, people had stopped gawking any time they were affectionate towards one another, finally having accepted their growing closeness. She leaned up on her toes some, brushing her lips softly across his before returning to just standing beside him as the watched the flickering candles on the big tree, awaiting the influx of patrons.

Damien hadn't expecting Samantha to be looking for him, though he supposed he had promised to come find her. He grinned down at her when she bumped into him, looping one arm loosely around her to pull her into a side-hug. "I can't wait to see it. I hope it was worth the trip," he teased with a wink before taking a step forward as the line moved. He hadn't intended to originally, but after meeting her he had started traveling to follow the cirque as it moved from place to place, just as an excuse to see her every night the cirque was open. He was particularly thrilled, as this would be his first opportunity to see the cirque decorated for the holidays, though he had certainly heard amazing things about the cirque this time of year - a certain holiday magic different from the typical magic of the place.

[Pangolin]

Henry had his back to the door of the tent when he heard someone come in, assuming it was one of the other actors he had been getting along with since he got there, "Have you seen Stella?" He asked and turned to see Anya before him, letting his arms drop to his sides, "Well nevermind then." He said a cleared his throat a bit before touching his suit, "Thank you." He said, in reply to both her comments, he didn't want to be rude but what came out of his mouth probably didn't sound very nice either, "Did you need something?" He asked, it wasn't like her to just stop by his tent, it's not like they were really on casually speaking terms at the moment, but he didn't think either of them really knew why.

Luke laughed a bit, "Or maybe because you're blue and sliver, Miss Water Affinity?" He sighed contently and turned a bit when he heard the large front gates begin to open, "Look like it's show time." He shook his sleeve back up his arm to check his watch, "But neither of us have anything to do for an hour or so..." He trailed off, letting her consider his implications this time. He grinned at her and took her head, leading her away form the tree before the patrons swarmed it, "Come help me get ready." He said, leading her into the back of the cirque and into his own tent.

Samantha looked down and took a step in time with him. She shook her head, making her hair fly around her face, "Well I sure hope so, but if the tree is disappointing, I think I could make it worth the trip." She said with a grin then continued in a sing songy voice, "There's a new tent and food vendor." She leaned into his side a bit more and took a few more steps with the line of people, "Will you ever take me up on my offer? It would be much cheaper just to stay with us instead of flying across different countries once a week." She pouted a bit up at him. She had offered to get him a job within the cirque so they could be together but he had told her no, he was just a human, but we have humans working with us she had explained but he had been adamant.

[ashlinnrose]

Anya's mood darkened at his statement, though she wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting. There had been some potential for something when they had met, but for some reason that had withered away and left this weird awkward barely friendship. "No. I suppose I do not. I was simply coming to check up on everyone before the shows started. Have a good night, Henry," she stated coldly as she watched him, her eyes having narrowed slightly. "Oh. And last I saw, Stella was making impressive progress up the main tree," she added over her shoulder as she turned to make her way back out of the tent. So much for whatever impulse had drawn her to seek him out prior to the gates opening. Perhaps she had imagined whatever potential there had been at the beginning, as clearly Henry had ruled her out for even friendship.

Callie arched an eyebrow at him, but then laughed and let him pull her along back towards the actors' tents. "Will you ever be ready by the time the gates open?" she teased as she trailed along behind him. He did have a nasty habit of being wholly unprepared when the gates opened. Lucky him for not having any legitimately scheduled performances. "How on earth do you find anything in here?" she grumbled when she followed him into his tent, having to step around a pile of clothing immediately upon entering the tent.

Damien lit up at the prospect of a new food vendor to sample and a new tent to explore that night, happy with the knowledge that Samantha would likely spend most of the night by his side until she had to run off for one of her performances. He glanced down at her at her request, something that she had taken to mentioning at least once in every location. "Money really isn't the issue. It's a moral thing. There is very little I could contribute to something to magical and I would feel like I was taking advantage of everyone. Besides, do you really think your ring leaders would allow it?" one of their conversations had been about how the illusionist and the fire eater were essentially the leaders of the cirque, as well as how they were both temperamental. "Perhaps I'll let you convince me for Christmas," he stated with a wink right before they stepped through the gate after he purchased his ticket, not willing to let her sneak him in like she kept offering to.

[Pangolin]

Henry raised his eyebrows a bit at her cold tone of voice. She was going to act like that then? He had done nothing wrong in asking her what she was up to since it's not like she normally stopped in to check on him. He may have been a little cold but she was being damn frigid. He began to turn away from her when she informed him his cat was climbing the tree. He swore and darted out his tent past her and made it the the large tree in a good time. He paused and the bottom and peered up and tree, seeing his orange cat more the half way up, "Stella!" He hollered at the feline and she stopped, her paws stretched out to the next branch and yelled back at him, "Oh Christ, she is never going to be able to get down."

Luke pushed aside a towel with his foot as he lead her through the tent, "Easily, I normally just step on things that get in my way, it's just clothing." He said with a bit of a shrug, "You may notice I have a lack of dresser." He pointed out to her. He plopped down on his bed and leaned back on his elbows, "That may have had an unfortunate accident and I never replaced it. I did replace pretty much all the clothes inside of it though, hence the piles, which are organized, might I add."

"I could convince Luke and he can mange Anya, since he's the only one that can anyway, she's been in a mood lately and it's freaking everyone out." Samantha blabbered to him, keeping her voice low so they people around them wouldn't hear very well over the loud chattering. She sighed at him as she followed him through the gates, the ticket taker eyeing her a bit. She lead Damien toward the center of the cirque, pointing out things she had grown along the way, "I really hope you like it." She said again, this time blushing a bit. They had never defined their relationship and had yet to really kiss but she really liked him. She'd consider him to be her first real boyfriend. She had flings here and there but never anything serious that lasted more then a month or so.

[ashlinnrose]

Given her inability to fly, Anya was unable to help the current cat situation, so she took her leave of the main clearing. She found herself situated in the ice garden, sitting in a hidden corner of the tent, hidden away from the stray patron, though the tent wasn't nearly as visited as when it first appeared at the cirque. It was a good place to reflect and try to make sense of the new turmoil of emotions that seemed to keep cropping up now that she had been on earth for as long as she had. She knew she had shows to do eventually, but those could wait until later in the evening. For the time, she was content to just sit among the ice sculptures, adding a new bird or flower every once in a while.

Callie rolled her eyes at his insistence that the piles were organized, "I highly doubt that." She moved to join him on the bed, curling her legs up beneath her. "Also, that doesn't look like getting ready," she teased with a bit of a wink as she got herself settled. "Don't forget that you have to dress up tonight," she added after a moment, eying the varied piles around the room, trying to see if there was anything in sight that she could suggest. "Maybe I'll mention around the cirque that you need a dresser... This is madness," she really couldn't get over the disorganization. Maybe it was because her own tent was ungodly organized.

Damien smiled down at her, but his attention was drawn to the large and glittering tree in the center of the cirque, his eyes going wide in amazement. "Samantha this is amazing..." he murmured, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. He knew that the coloring must be the work of someone else, but the largeness of the tree was truly something to behold, especially with the knowledge that she had grown the thing herself in less than a day. "You are amazing..." he added, turning his attention back to her. He gently slid a hand through her hair, leaning down as he pulled her closer to kiss her gently, his other hand moving to rest on her waist.