Circus of the insane

(Super sorry about the delay, I had an appointment and got really tired when I came back from it)
Elena watched with interest as Vasilios began to circle the pup. She stood up and walked towards whom she thought was Jeerah, the wolf mother and sat down cautiously.
She turned to the area in front of her where Thatcher was circling Vasilios.
"Be careful?" She said, confused as to if this was normal or not. They seemed to be having fun.
Jeerah growled softly in a motherly tone.

(don't worry about it, your good)
Thatcher growled in complaint to his mother as if saying that he was fine and that he could take care of himself.
"Don't worry my dear, this is normal, all in good fun," Vasilios said with a half smile. Thatcher lunged at Vasilios from behind and tackled the magician to the ground, snarling and biting at his shoulder and arms
"My, my Thatcher, you've learned not to attack from the front," Vasilios struggled with the wolf for a bit, taking some hits on behalf of the pup and tussling with him. Spotting an opportunity, Vasilios flipped the pup onto his back and pinned him to the ground "Gotcha," he smiled and got off the pup, helping him get up. Thatch growled in mock feigned annoyance and trotted over to his mother, nuzzling her. He moved on to Elena and sniffed around her cautiously. Once he found out that she was safe, he sat in front of her and placed his head in her lap. Vasilios came over and wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief "He likes you," he explained to Elena. "he only does that when he likes a person, don't you Thatch?" he sat beside Jeerah, who put her head in his lap, sighing softly "Tired, mama? Yeah, your little ones a handful." he said with affection, glancing over at Elena with a grin

Jeerah bared her teeth in warning as Thatcher tackled Vasilios to the ground, while Elena winced. The magician and the wolf play-fighted for a bit, until Vasilios pinned the pup to the ground with a swift and sudden movement. Elena stopped mid-pat, watching intensely to make sure no one got hurt. Not that she could have done anything about it, Elena realized.
She looked back up, realizing that they were done. Thatcher circled her, sniffing. Elena almost backed away before noticing that he meant no harm. She let him sniff her over and grinned when she plopped his head down on her lap.
"Really?" She said happily. She brushed her hand along the length of Thatcher's back. The cool fur felt nice against her skin.

Thatcher Flipped over and started swating at her wrist with his paws, carefull not to claw her. "Playig the victem here aren't you thatcher, just to get the girl." Vasilios shook his and patted Jeerah's head "your son is a womanizer, you do realize that, don't you?"
Jeerah half grinned and nodded, letting out a little bark in agreement.
Thatcher growled and glared at the two, amusment in his shining eyes
"You want a rematch?" Vasilios challenege
Thatcher shook his head and lied back down comfortably in Elena's lap
"Punk," Vasilios muttered with a childish smile

She giggled at the conflict. Thatcher lolled his tongue out like a dog, his cuspids showing. It felt more protective than warning though, and she leaned closer. Suddenly, she remembered that she was sitting on the dusty ground of a carnival tent, playing with circus animals.
"Ah." She frowned. What was she doing here again? Still, she felt comfortable, with a canine laid happily across her lap, a warm cloak draped over her, and a friendly prince. It was like a second home. Although, her home wasn't really a home at the moment. Her parents were overseas on business, and the house was empty. She didn't have a reason to go home, other then a bed to sleep in and food to eat.
She pressed her lips together.
"Oh, right. We were going to see the others." Elena said to no one in particular. She had almost forgot. Turning to Vasilios, she cocked her head in thought.

He nodded and pulled jeerah's head out of his lap "I'll see you later, alright." he said to the two wolves and the lionesses who had joined them. Brushing invisible dirt off his lap, he offered a hand to Elena "curious one aren't you?" he mused with a grin "I havn't had a volunteer so interesting in my line of work, per say."
Keep your head straight, she's just another pretty girl who's using you for access to the circus, nothing more, nothing less.
She's also stolen you're heart and robed your mind,

Elena gratefully accepted it, pulling herself up from the dusty ground.
"I'm sure anyone would be just as excited as me if they were in my position." She said honestly. Personally, she believed she would be the most interested, but she didn't say that out loud. It was selfish and most likely wrong. She had seen the faces in the crowd as they watched him perform. The two exited the tent, leaving the animals to roam. For some reason, she didn't let go of his hand when they walked out. No, she kept a tight grip on it, hoping it wouldn't slip away without warning.

I'm sure they would be, I rarely offer this opportunity to many." He said glancing at her and squeezing her hand gently "The next tent we'll be going into are the weapons tent. He pointed out some red and black tents in a corner "sword swallowers and scene actors mostly live here. He led her to the tents, nodding his respects to those around him as they entered the largest one. The tent around them was covered in gold's and reds, imitating Japanese design and style

Her eyes widened by a fraction. Remembering the way some of the people here had tossed around swords in an almost playful manner, the danger gone when it was in their hands. The sword fights were intriguing, and it was hard to pull your eyes away from them for a second as they pranced easily back and force. Their choreography was perfect; A flawless dance with a whirling of blades and clanging metal.
Elena mimicked Vasilios's movements, nodding in what she inferred to be respect for the "sword dancers". The inside of the tent was splashed with bright red and a golden yellow. Racks of wooden swords were lined up neatly in a corner. A few metal swords- the ones that appeared to be for the official shows- were lined up seperately, all taking a home on a wall of the tent. In the middle was a large square of bamboo mat. It sort of looking like a boxing ring, but without the outside bars and much larger. In the corner, some people took the chore of sharpening blades.

Vasilios led Elena across the bamboo rink and towards a man who was sharpening a dagger. He had sharp features and bright green eyes. A neatly trimmed gotee surrounded his thin lips, which curled into a smile as he spotted the circus prince approaching. Putting his dagger on a side table that was littered with other weapons he stood and bowed respectfully "Good to see you Lios, here for a rematch?" He asked with a slight accent "and who might this be?" He glanced at Elena, amusement in his eyes
"Good to see you too Auros, sadly no, I'm not here for a rematch. This is a friend of mine, Elena."
Auros bowed to Elena "so you were the one who helped Lios in his performance today, and your the little butterfly that's been following him around the circus grounds all day."
Vasilios nodded in confirmation and turned to Elena "Auris is the weapons master at the circus, he's the best for miles and unbeaten." He said proudly
Auros blushed at the praise "thank you Lios, but I'm sure theirs better."
"I doubt that old friend. Mind if we have a little your?"
"Of course!"

(Little butterfly aww flkds;ajfkjweiogdsa)
She watched hesitantly behind Vasilios, eyeing the dagger. She listened to their conversation, making sure not to butt in. Her heart quickened at the Auro's remark. "Little butterfly." She whispered under her breath. She liked it.
She made a small mental note to remember Lios. His nickname?
Elena grinned and nodded ecstaticly when Auros turned down his title as one of the best weapon's masters around.
"You were really good!" She said.

He nodded in thanks "I thank my dear but there really is nothing so spectacular about practicing hours on end." He smiled up at Vasilios "you have a special one here Lios, don't let her fly away." He winked and tossed aside the red cloth he was using to clean the blade with "have you two gone to see Fair, have you?"
Vasilios shook his head "no not yet, congratulations by the way on the child."
Auros's sparkled "thank you Lios."

It was though. The fact that he was willing to practice hours on end with potentially dangerous props was a great feat. He was humble.
Elena furrowed her brow. Child? She wasn't one to butt in on conversations, so she kept her mouth shut. Auro's eyes glimmered.
"Thank you Lios." He said. He must be a good guy. Elena deducted.

He smiled and turned his attention back to Elena, letting Auros get back to his training "ready to go see Fair?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "Auros has some training to do for tomorrow night's performance, we'll be able to come down tomorrow for the tour." He breathed a laugh as he saw her smile "you've been charmed I see,Auros has that effect on many."

Elena bounced her head up and down in response. Because she never ventured from the show tent, this would be a new experience for her. Well, not exactly. She had seen pictures before, but no picture could give her the scents, the sights, and the experience of coming first-hand. That was what she wanted.
"I'll come tomorrow to see you perform!" Elena promised excitedly. She mentally calculated the extra trip with her budget and grimaced discreetly. She might as well start cutting back on a few things, and what better time to start than the present. Elena involuntarily brought up images of the dozens of stuffed animals sitting in her bedroom, and then a flashback to the hours spent by the claw machine, feeding it coins with hope for a catch.
Her eye twitched as she thought, her hand flying up to twist a lock of hair close to her neck.

He nodded and smiled "you've come to all of the Circus's performances haven't you?" Leading them away from the red tent, Lios turned on a path illuminated by the moonlight. They come upon a large tent, almost as big as the Main Tent. With the moon acting as a spotlight the tent shimmered with silvers and light blue accents, crameating the illusion that it was constantly moving and flowing. "I welcome you my dear to the Cretia tent.”

Elena skipped onto the moon lit path, her eyes moving side to side. We're traveling deeper into the fair. She thought, and glanced back. Would she need to remember the way out? She trusted Vasilios enough to know with surety that he was not a serial killer. Her black flats clicked along the paved stones.
She could soon see another tent farther out. It looked… Wavy. It appeared as if it were a mirage, swaying and wavering under the moon's light.
"A Cretia tent?" She asked.

He nodded and clasped his hands behind his back “The Cretia Tent. Home to acrobats who seem as if they fly and magic bringers to add a little flare.” He opened the flap for her to walk through. The inside corridor was dark, barely lit, casting the two in black, Lios’s eyes glowed with purple

Elena thought about the trapeze artists and the aerial silks performers, as well as a few other sights.
"Aerial performers." She whispered under her breath. The hallway they walked into was dark, with deep purple hues coloring the area. Vasilios's eyes almost changed colors, and she involuntarily held her breath. It was hard to see what was in front of her, much less anything farther than a feet.

"scared of the dark dear? Or scared of what's in it?" Vasilios said with a smile. He took her hand in his and guided her through the dark corridors, at some points light would sleep through cracks and frame their silhouettes with blue lights "this is where we keep most performers since we have a variety of artists and talent." He explained they walked

Elena swallowed heavily, and gripped his hand tighter.
"Are we there yet?" She murmured. The tent seemed much bigger on the inside than how it appeared on the outside. Her other hand buried itself in the flow folds of her blouse.

He rubed the back of her hand with his thumb in an attempt to calm her "almost." They walked on for a few more feet then came to a light colored door. silver fillagree was imprinted around the edges, the rest was filed in with merged wood with crystal. Lios opened the door with his free hand and guided her through to a large open arena. The ground was covered with a shimmery blue fabric that mimicked calm waters. Above we similar fabrics of all shades of purple and blues. They could vaguely see some performers practicing on the trapeze, easily flipping long distances and performing ariel acts some thought impossible. Far in the corner another Ariel Performer was wrapping fabric around her waist to redy herself to fly. Vasilios walked over to the woman still holding Elena's hand "I see you're practicing again," He greeted with a smile

(Bump)

How do they manage to fit all of this in a tent? Elena wondered, walking slowly to absorb the details of the spacious arena. They walked across a shimmery blue fabric that felt the tiniest bit fluffy for some reason. She felt oceanic here, the theme reminding her of fish swimming gracefully in the water. She turned to her left, and saw a young woman almost toppling down from the silks, like cartwheels in the air. Someone was hanging from a hula hoop suspended in the air with only their head, turning in slow circles.
Vasilios led her to another woman who was securing a strip of crimson fabric around her waist, preparing to climb up the rope-like structure.
"I see your practicing again." Vasilios spoke.

"Why if it isn't Lios," she bowed gracefully and pulled him into a hug "How are you?" she asked with a bright smile.
Lios hugged back "I'm dooing fine, fair." releasig her from the hug, Vasilios introduced Elena "this is my friend Elena, she helped with the show this morning."
"Ah, Auro's said you had a follower, he never mentioned how lovely she was though." She smiled at Elena
"He never does, he only has eyes for you, you know that." Lios replied.
Fair nodded "want to try?" she asked Elena, gesturing to the velvet curtain that was wrapped around her waist "It's fun!"

The woman gave Vasilios a hug, red silk dangling around her waist like a dress. He introduced Elena to her, Fair.
Fair gestured at the velvet fabric.
"Want to try? It's fun!" Elena's eyes widened at the danger it presented to her. She was in no way flexible or athletic, and wouldn't be able to climb the silk if she was offered a million dollars. Elena fidgeted nervously, but what the heck, she thought. Fair seemed really nice, and in the shows she appeared so confident, so she shouldn't worry.
Nodding shyly, she stepped toward Fair.

Fair smiled encouragingly while she unwrapped herself from the curtain "first we need to find you an Airiel outfit." She led her away to a corner, Vasilios making the move to follow but was held back by a look Fair shot him "tsk, tsk, tsk, Lios, I know you're attached to this one but don't worry, she's in good hands. Plus it's the ladies dressing room." Lios sighed but nodded "alright." As he waited, he pulled off his gloves and unbuttoned his shirt a bit. Wrapping his arm securely around the curtain, he pulled himself up in one fluent movement.

"Really?" Elena felt a surge of excitement flood her, and she followed Fair into a corner. Vasilios started to follow them, but Fair pushed him back. Elena giggled, realizing that Vasilios was about to come with them to the dressing room.
Fair tugged her along, making occasional comments about her figure and what would suit her best. She tried her best to listen. Fair grabbed a costume and nodded to the closet- "Here, change into this one."

Fair waited outside while Elena changed. "Ready yet?" She asked. "So, how do you like the circus so far – it's quite a sight to see, huh? And to tour with Lios, my, my, my, he must be fond of you to show you something so close and dear to his heart. come to think of it, I think you're the only person he's brought into the grounds that not part of the show." She mused with a smile "Don't pass that off as nothing, Lios feels something for you if he's willing to show you so personal."

Elena stepped out of the dressing room carefully, hugging herself around the waist. The tight cotton fabric clutched her sides, and Elena thought of the word.. Revealing.
She swallowed, eyes wide.
"Really? I didn't know that. Well, it is very nice to see you in person!" She said, trying to turn the attention away from her clothing. It was a weird mixture of silvery white and gray, which she assumed would go well with the bright red of the silk.