(@amber, should it be like an evil adult who controls the whole circus?)
(yeah)
(@amber, should it be like an evil adult who controls the whole circus?)
(yeah)
Eli shook his head, adjusting the tape on the side of his glasses. "Ah." He rubbed his eye.
"Are you going to be alright?" Ana signed.
Jace walks into the room with a nervous look. "You guys, the ringleader is coming in," he whispers and sits next to his sister. A moment later, the ringleader comes in with a snarl on his face.
"There'll be up to 200 guests tonight so I better see you all behave. One wrong move and you're done," he barks at the teenagers in front of him.
Leo stiffened at once. "Yes, sir!" he answered in unison with everyone else. The ringleader walked up to Ana and hit her in the chest with the flat of his palm. "Are we all steady and ready?" he asked loudly, their faces inches apart.
Ugh…another show. At least it's just a black eye… Eli thought to himself. He scrunched up his nose at the older man.
Ana nodded and looked down at the floor. The ringleader didn't know that she was deaf. Every time she had to answer a question, Eli would come and save her from it.
The ringleader nodded back. "Good." He looked at Lia. "Choreography with Leo. Now," he growled.
Name: Griffin
Age: 17
Gender: Born girl, identifies as a male
Sexuality: Bi
Role: Trapezist
Looks: Griffin has wavy strawberry blonde hair and caramel-toned eyes. He is 5’11’’, And lean and scrawny but subtly muscled.
Personality: Griffin is shy, sweet, and overprotective. He is a lot smarter than he lets on, and is the exact opposite of naive.
How should I come in?)
(you could be late…but it would be hard on Griffin)
(you can either risk being late, or just have been there the whole time)
Lia gets up from her spot on the ground and helps Leo stand. "Take it easy please. I'll do most of the hard work today. I'll get Jace to grab some bandages from the supply cabinets."
Ana looked over at Eli, nodding at him.
Eli nodded back, noticing Ana's injured wrist. "She defiantly needs some. Twisted wrist." He spoke quietly.
The ringmaster slapped Lia hard across the face. "I give the orders around here. Leo will be fine."
(I’ll risk being late)
Griffin sprinted through the halls until he found the room, fear spurring him in. I’m late what do I do?!, he thought frantically as he barrelled into the room.
(He’s had surgery and hormone blockers btw)
Ana looked up at Griffin. Oh no…oh no oh no… She motioned for Griffin to go before the ringmaster noticed, but it was too late.
The ringmaster whipped around. His mottled lips stretched into a cold grin. "Well, Griffin. What are you doing here?"
Eli grimaced, looking around. He tried to think of something to say to save Griffin, but he couldn't think of everything.
Jace watches his sister and Leo quickly leave the room as Griffin enters. He purses his lips and prays silently that Griffin will walk away unharmed.
Griffin froze on the spot, instinctively backing into a defensive position. “I’m so sorry, sir I— I got lost, it- it won’t happen again I promise!!” His heart was beating wildly like a caged animal as pure fear flowed through his bloodstream.
"Well, now," the ringmaster said calmly. "Here, we keep the best. And we dispose of those who are not the best." He picked up Griffin by his collar.
"Hey!" Eli stood up. Oh crap..why'd I do that? "Isn't…Griffin our only trapezist? That's why people come is to see…trapeze acts. If you get rid of Griffin, you loose money." He was starting to become more confident with this lie. "You loose money, you loose the circus."
The ringmaster blinked. "Very true, Eliott." He put Griffin down. "8 hours of non-stop practice, Griffin, starting now. That is your punishment."
Ana let out a sigh of relief. Thank god for Eli… Honestly, she would have been thrown out of the circus forever ago if it weren't for him.
Eli nodded and sat back down. Oh my gosh…that actually worked! I'm getting better at this!
Griffin shook his head at Eli, silently screaming: Nonono this is dangerous Eli save yourself what are you doing?!?!?! The ringleader slowly set Griffin down, considering this. “One more slip up, and you get the noose”, he threatened Griffin. He stepped back, but then turned around, regarding the trapezost with cold eyes, stepping forward again to deliver a hard slap in the face.
(oops I was late sorry!)
Jace waits for the ringmaster to leave before asking Griffin if he's okay. Too many times has the ringmaster bullied his friends. They need to take action before it's too late.
Lia stretches in the training room, waiting to start practicing. She touches her cheek where a red mark was still visible from where she was slapped.
Leo walks towards Lia, sighing worriedly. He puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles at her. He quickly pulled his hand back, though. "I'm gonna need some help with the choreography."
“I’m fine.”, Griffin said to Jace, turning to Eli. “Thanks, Eli.” He swallowed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Eli shrugged. "Except I did. If I didn't do it, someone else would have." He nodded. Ana signed to Eli. "Ask Griffin where he was." Eli nodded and turned back to Griffin. "Where were you?" He asked.
(Griffin speaks sign language)
Griffin averted his eyes. “I— I found my mother’s body.”, he signed to both of them, tears welling up in his eyes.