Secret Lives ~ 1x1 with Cloudsong and M.F.L

[Cloudsong]

Evan chuckled as her cheeks burned red. He had made her feel embarrassed, but not in a mean way. If anything, he expected her to be pleased that he had complimented her. He decided that it wouldn't be wise to continue embarrassing her, but just for his own fun, he winked. Then as he cleared his throat, his usual serious expression returned, and he blinked, composing himself. "Are you sure that you weren't going to mention something before, when you left?" She had seemed pretty upset and confused after he had sent his father off. He was still quite curious about what she had meant, and why she had seemed so suspicious about it, as if there was something on her mind.

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda caught a glimpse of Evan's wink, which made her bite her lip. She had an urge to punch him in the shoulder, but she pushed it down. When he composed himself, she did the same, the blush becoming nothing more than a gentle pink on the edges of her cheeks. "I...I'll tell you tonight, after the show." Sauda kept her head down while she spoke, now becoming a bit antsy. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late and Sauda had never been late.

[Cloudsong]

Evan nodded, noticing her unease in a heartbeat. Perhaps he had pushed it too far by winking. Silently he nodded. She would be late if he kept him longer, and besides - he had to go get ready for the show as well. "After the show, then," he agreed. His smile returned, though smaller than it had been before. He silently turned, and began to walk away. But he stopped a second later, and glanced back over at her. "Oh, and good luck," he said, voice encouraging. Although, she didn't need it. Her performances were always perfect, and she trained the animals so well that they wouldn't mess up.

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda smiled a little more and turned away, not speaking again as they parted ways. She sped her pace up a little and made it to the tent just in time. She was patted on the back by Jonathan who had a knowing smirk on his face, which then turned him into a punching bag. Sauda quickly cleaned her boots of mud and readied herself to go on stage. Her body filled with adrenaline and she did a little dance where she stood, glad no one was watching.

She was anxious for the show, the excitement, the thrill. This was her favorite thing, one thing that brought her to life. On stage, Sauda could be herself as long as she focused on the animals and fed off the energy of the crowd.

[Cloudsong]

Evan was still smiling when he reached his room, and as soon as the door closed, he let out a sigh, unsure of what to feel. Being around Sauda that afternoon had made him forget of all of his worries about the future. Before, when he had been printing the programs for the night, he had felt a sinking, trapped sensation as he imagined his future there in the circus. But now, half of him anticipated it, and looked forward to it. Maybe it wasn't so bad... If he would finally have someone to talk to, then maybe he would stay after all. It still surprised him that he had never approached Sauda before that day to talk to her. Now, seeing how intriguing she was, he wanted to spend all of his time with her, getting to know her better.

As he approached his desk again, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly had gone through her head when they had encountered his father. She had seemed so hopeful, and then regretful. Only time will tell, he decided finally. She would tell him after the show. Reaching down, he picked up the perfectly printed programs and opened the door to his room, jumping down. However, as soon as his feet made contact with the ground, he nearly collided with someone. Quickly he regained his posture, and his eyes widened as he saw the person whom he had startled.

"Evan?"

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda bit her lip, she was so nervous and all she could think about was Evan. It was strange and an unwelcome thing, but there was not much she could do about it. After the show, Sauda had a plan to not greet Evan as herself, but as her fox form. There was no way she would shift in front of him, yet. It was just, maybe he would figure it out on his own, though Sauda doubted that greatly.

Jonathan and her fox form would be training tonight, so there was no reason not to shift and go to meet Evan as 'Gyspy', as she was called. For the first time in a long time, Sauda was looking forward to something other than the show. She still did not truly trust Evan, not even close, but he was on his way to becoming a friend like Jonathan. Even Jonathan did not know anything besides her shell just below the outer. Her sister had been the only one to know Sauda for who she was inside.

[Cloudsong]

Evan was still for a long moment as he stared at the girl in front of him. "Camille!" he finally said, his voice revealing his shock. As she rushed over and hugged him, he smiled slightly, returning the embrace. The scent of her lavender shampoo was very strong, and also very familiar to him. When she had pulled away, she took a step back, a very large smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Camille laughed. "Always right to the point with you, huh Evan?" She gently poked him in the chest, and then reached up to fondly ruffle his hair.

He drew back, and quickly ran a hand through his hair, a look of mock annoyance on his face. He was obviously very happy to see her, though a little reserved still. His eyes traveled to the older man that stood behind her, and he blinked. "Hi sir," he said slowly, meeting his eyes. He was unsure of who the man was, and shot a glance over at Camille, as if asking her to introduce him.

She laughed. "This is my father - he's the president at the college I go to."

The words stung almost, as he realized that Camille had gone on after school to college. Obviously she had gotten free admission from her father, although she would have gotten a scholarship anyway; he and Camille had always gotten the best grades of their year. However, he didn't let his emotions show, and quickly reached offered the man his hand, who took it. They shook, and then Evan returned his arm to his side. The man's hands were cold, and slightly damp. He resisted the urge to wipe them off on his pants. "Nice to meet you," he said quietly, nodding respectfully.

Camille was nothing but smiles as she looked between them. "So which college are you attending now?" she asked sweetly, her eyelashes batting as she put a hand on her hip.

(The show could start now~)

[My Fair Lady]

The noise from the crowd made Sauda's smile grow a little. She entered the ring, a monkey on her shoulder. The show started, Sauda doing her parts and the other performers as well. The crowd cheered as the elephants did their tricks. She was encouraged and strengthened by their cheers, the giggles of small children, the joyous laughter. This was the time that she felt most alive, almost like when Gypsy was still here.

Her smile was genuine and happy, She was happy here, on the stage. Unfortunately, the few things that were going through Sauda's mind were Evan and Gypsy. Things didn't make sense to her right now, but her outer mind was still focused on the show, it was ingrained in her so even if she was distracted, her work was done correctly without any gimmicks.

[Cloudsong]

The cheering crowd from the main tent was heard quite loudly, and Evan glanced over in that direction, biting his lip. He was hoping that they would get distracted, or perhaps just leave. Sure, this girl had once been his best friend, and at one time more than a friend, but the question she had just asked left him frozen. What was he to say? Lie, and say that he was going to college when he really was not? Silently he swallowed, pretending not to notice the two as they stared at him, beginning to look skeptical.

"I'm not." The words came clearly enunciated from his mouth, and he met Camille's gaze calmly. Her look of horror was almost comical, though he didn't laugh.

"You're not?" she echoed. "How could you not go to college? What are you doing here? You think this-" She motioned around at the groups of wagons that were parked all around them. "-will ever give you a future?"

Her words offended him, and Evan crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "Perhaps not," he said finally. "But trust me when I say this, I won't be here for very much longer. Perhaps even next year I'll go-"

"Why wait?" Her father interjected, cutting him off. "Come with us now; Camille told me about your intelligence. You would be a great addition to our school."

Evan was shocked, and he almost didn't believe the words coming from the man's mouth. "Are you saying you want me to go to your University?" His words were slow, as if he were still trying to believe them himself.

Camille nodded. "We need more students, and of course you'd receive a full scholarship."

Seeing the look of shock and doubt in Evan's eyes, Camille's father reached out and roughly patted his arm. "I'll give you a few days to think about it. Camille will come by in a week to hear your decision." His voice was brisk, and he tightened the tie he wore around his neck. Reaching into his briefcase, he pulled out a sealed envelope, and thrust it into Evan's hands. A large smile formed on his lips. "Hope to see you soon."

Camille was smiling again, and as her father turned and walked off, she rushed forward and kissed his cheek. "Make the right decision, okay? Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be study partners again." Her voice was hopeful, and she nodded after turning and skipping off after her father.

[My Fair Lady]

Sweat trickled down her neck, causing her to shiver. She worked gently with her animals and together they created something for the crowd to watch and laugh about. The monkey on her shoulder chattered, making her smile grow a little. She spoke to the crowd, her voice inviting. "A volunteer from the audience, please. Come, come, can I see a show of hands?"

Hands started to raise, many of them children. Normally, she wouldn't pick a child, but she was doing a stunt with the monkey and the other animals had returned to their back stage pens so there was no danger. "Don't worry, Trip here is just going to show us how he does some of his tricks." She gestured to the monkey on her shoulder. Her eyes searched the crowd until she found one child that normally someone would skip over, a dirty, scared child with a timidly raised hand. The look in her eyes softened ever so slightly, not enough for anyone who didn't know her to notice.

"How about..." Sauda pretended to search the crowd again and made it look like she would almost pick someone else, then her eyes found the little girl again. "You, the one in the brown dress." She pointed to the child who's eyes widened with surprise. Sauda noticed the hesitation as the girl pointed to herself in confusion. She beckoned the girl forward. "Yes, you, little one. Come on, it's alright, Trip's a friendly monkey."

The little girl entered the ring and walked up to Sauda, tentatively reaching her hand up to take Trip's paw, which he offered to her. "What's your name?" She asked quietly, so only the girl would hear, crouching beside her. There was no answer, just as Sauda feared. "Don't worry." She whispered before she straightened. "Now, can you help me show off Trip's skills?" Sauda received a small nod, which in turn brought another gentle smile to Sauda's lips.