"'Become?' I'm already there!" Ri joked. She took a huge gulp of her coffee while making sure Dick was watching. "Mmmmmm, boy, is this stuff good! Just the thing to wake you up and keep you going at this bright and early hour! Mmmmmm." She grinned widely at him over the rim of the cup. "Nah, I'm just kidding, Dick! If you need it that badly, do you want the rest of mine?" She took a bite of her bagel and waved the half-full cup at him. "Geditt walfillt 'ot," she added, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"...Oosp."

Shakes head over Ri soraying crumbs over her paper

*you should be a little more careful when you eats, it's not nice to speak with food in you mouth you know*

Then Lydia smiles and holds up the picture of Ris new outfit



*there you go, design al a Lydia, you will look great!*


ooc. sorry for the wait, I have been fighting with this for a while now and I still don't think it is perfekt

Ri snatched the picture out of Lydia's hands and scrutinized it eagerly. "Ooooh, I like it! Red, my favorite color... Ooh, and the black stuff is very cool, too. Wow, this is great!" She looked up, grinning at the room in general. "I am going to look so HOT!"

She jumped up from her seat. "Hey, do you mind if I take this to show Saturday? You're working on hers soon, too, right? She'll want to know what they're like, okay, thanks, bye!"

Gleefully clutching the picture, she traipsed out the door without waiting for a reply.

"Hey, Saturday!" She yelled as she neared their workout site. "Look what I've got!" The paper made loud flapping noises as she waved the picture around over her head.

Saturday straightened up from a flip. "What's that?"

"Look." Ri proudly shoved the paper in front of her co-performer's nose. "It's my costume! Doesn't it look great?"

“Let’s see.” Saturday took the picture, pushing some hair out of her face as she did so. “…Yeah, this is cool.” She nodded appreciatively and handed the picture back. “So it’s going to be like that for all of us?”

“Um, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Lydia.” Ri carefully folded the picture and put it in a convenient pants pocket. I’ll give this back to her later…. Right now I should practice.

“Hey Saturday, you know that routine we did like half a year ago? Well, I was just thinking, and I thought we could make some variations….”

****

Two hours later, Ri called it quits. “I’m tired… We’ll practice more later, okay?”

“Sure.” As she swiped her wrist across her forehead, Saturday was not about to argue.

As they set off for the community trailer for some life-giving water, Ri squinted up at the sky. “It’s so hot outside already! I can’t wait until we start heading north…. Though I don’t know if that’ll really be any better. But it’s got to be at least a little, right?”

Saturday shook her head. “I don’t know. The radio says it’s going to be a pretty hot summer this year.”

Ri’s face assumed a moping expression. “Maybe we can work some ice effects into the acts or something.”

“Well, I do know a few people who would be more than happy to blast you with icicles,” Saturday laughed.

“That’s not funny.” Ri morosely reflected on her mother’s countless lectures on improving her people skills. “It’s not my fault if some people can’t take the sticks out of-”

“Hey!” Saturday interrupted her. “Is that Humperdink walking around with a kid?”

It was. “That’s weird. What’s a kid doing with Humperdink? And look how dirty and little he is!” Ri’s maternal instincts kicked in, as they always did whenever a cute little tyke came into view.

“Maybe he’s the one who took the tape,” Saturday suggested as they stopped and gawked openly.

“Nah, you can’t hear Humperdink throughout the caravan, can you?” Ri grinned wryly. “It’s got to be something else…. I wonder what it is.”

Just then Humperdink saw them. “Ri! Ri Haliae, come here right now!” He barked. “You too, Saturday!”

Both girls started guiltily. “Yeah, Humperdink?” Ri asked as they approached.

“That’s Mister to you, Ms. Haliae!” The large circus master harrumphed. He had his arm around the boy’s skinny shoulders. “I need someone to watch my nephew Alex, here, and I don’t have a lot of time in which to look. I just got finished arranging my travel plans, you see. I need to- er, be somewhere. Important. I’ll be back by tonight, however, so just keep an eye on Alex until then, you hear? I can’t waste any more time trying to find someone better.”

“Oh, well, with such a flattering request, how can I possibly refuse?” Ri’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Good.” It was hard to tell whether Humperdink didn’t catch Ri’s tone, or if he was just choosing to ignore it. “Here, Alex.” He babbled to the kid in some weird foreign language. The boy’s eyes grew larger and larger, and he clung to Humperdink’s hand so tightly Ri could see his knuckles turning yellow.

“It’s all right,” Humperdink mumbled as he managed to dislodge Alex and scoot him over to the two girls. “He doesn’t speak English,” he told them. “So it’s no use trying to talk to him. Just feed him and get him to the bathroom regularly, and if I’m not back by the time you go to bed either take him in with one of you, or leave him in my wagon.”

With one last pat on the boy’s shoulder, he was gone. Ri, Saturday and Alex stared after him.

“I feel like we’ve just been left with a dog. ‘Feed him regularly. Take him out. Don’t let him on the furniture,’” Ri mimicked Humperdink in a falsetto.

“Ri!” Saturday elbowed her, then nodded at Alex, who was still looking in the direction Humperdink had left with rapidly reddening eyes.

Ri promptly squatted down to look him in the eyes. “Alex,” she said carefully, wearing a friendly, hopefully reassuring smile. “My name is Ri. That is Saturday.” She gestured as she spoke. “Humperdink left you with us. We’ll take care of you until he gets back, so don’t worry, okay?”

Alex glanced back and forth between her and Saturday as she spoke. Apparently her intent- to calm him down and ensure him they weren’t mean people- had gotten through to him, because he gave a loud sniff, then a very hesitant smile.

Ri smiled back. “Aaaww! Look, isn’t that sweet! Come on, Alex, are you hungry?” She stood up and offered him her hand, which he took. “Hey Saturday, we should see if he wants some food.”

As the trio headed off to the community trailer, Ri reflected happily that maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Shakes her head as Ri disappeared

*Oh well, her own fault if it is destroyed*

eats the rest of her breakfast and rises to leave thinking over what she should make the day go with

~think I am going to just sew the last on the dress now, and then I can go looking for that hunk again, maybe beginning on Ri's outfit...~

Goes to her room and takes a dark blouse with a tied bow under the bust and a striped short skirt on, then takes the dress she was working on and her sewing kit and walks out to sit in a rocking chair in the sun

*ahh, this is life*

begins to sew the collar to the dress

(Once my computer gets fixed (this weekend) I'll finish up my post for the Circus as well as start up the X-Men RP. Until then I'm leeching off other comps so I don't really have a chance to work on the RPs. Sorry. )

After changing into some workout clothing, Sabri jogged back to the community trailer and stuck her head in the door.

"There you are Richard. Is there any coffee left?"

Seeing that the pot was empty, she let out an exaggerated wail and pulled a packet of instant tea from her pocket, then started to warm up some water in the microwave. She got out three more packets, then glanced behind her.

"Did you want some? I know drinking too much before going up can be brutal on the bladder, but I just can't help myself."

When her water was warm, she poured in the packet and downed the tea without adding sugar (and while still standing in front of the microwave).

"What time did you want to practise today?"

---

Later that evening, as promised, she knocked lightly on the door to Lydia's trailer.


[Edit: lmao, Richard's nickname won't go through the word filter... at first I just thought it was my usual typoness coming through...XD ]

Back on her unicycle and moving at a steady clip, Gin made her way back to the animals tent, upon her arrival she poked her head inside and checked on all of the animals inside before turning around and gazing expectantly at the treetops off in the distance. She could still see the crows there, but she could also see something else, something white amongst the black feathered birds.

She tossed her large back onto her back and rode off to that tree, before long, she was at its base, staring up at the face of a ghostly pale young man with bright green eyes, wrapped in a hooded black cloak. When Gin climbed up the tree and sat beside him, he lowered his hood, letting tresses of his knee length white hair get caught by the wind. His sad, doe-like eyes had dark circles around them, just like Gin’s, and his lips held only the faintest of smiles.

“Your workshop has successfully been relocated, Mistress.” The man said, in a soft and quiet tone.

“Good, and you’re sure no traces were left behind.” Gin asked darkly, her eye glaring at the man.

“I am positive.” He answered, bowing his head slightly.

“Well done Yuki. Now, let me bring you up to speed on what’s been going on.”

As the minutes passed by, Gin whispered information to her servant and accomplice, Yuki, beneath the loud callings of the crows. She pulled her large sketchpad from her bag and the small one from her back pocket and let him flip through both as she pointed out key things as she went about telling her story. When she was done, she looked at Yuki and waited for him to speak.

“What will you do about the psychic, my Mistress.” Yuki asked.

“Well, I’m beginning to think that he should join the family before Lydia… possibly before anyone else. If he really is a psychic, that would eliminate any trouble he could cause, and besides, I think I’m fond of him, I want to keep him.” Gin whispered with a smile, her finger tracing a wide circle around the one lone sketch she had of Lucas.

“Then Lydia.” Gin continued. “She is just what I’m looking for. It will take a bit more effort, since she’s such a big part of this circus, but I will make it happen. I will get what I want, I just hope I can control myself long enough.”

“I have a question Mistress.” Yuki asked, with caution. Gin merely looked at him with an expression that told him it was okay to ask.

“If the man truly is a psychic… won’t he discover what we’re doing, and stop us?” Yuki asked, bowing his head in preparation as he watched Gin’s expression turn sour.

“You have paid far too much attention to the words of my sister, she has filled you with doubts! I will not fail Yuki. Did I not say that I would have everything I want... no matter what I have to do?” Gin growled.

"Yes Mistress, you did... I am very sorry.” Yuki apologized, his head hung low.

"No matter. Just trust me... Lucas will be mine, he will be the next, and then the lovely Lydia. I just need to take my time, and plan this out perfectly." Gin spoke, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Gin then rest her head on Yuki's lap, murmuring her thoughts and idea as she plotted on what to do next.

---

ooc: Whoops, forgot all about how the word filter would effect the RP XD;;

Squeeee! Sounds awesome. Welcome to the circus, rogue! ^____^

****

"Come on, try some. You can't tell me you're not hungry, you're skinnier than a stick!"

Ri continued to try and wheedle her way to Alex's stomach by waving a buttered blueberry bagel in his face. He resolutely resisted her efforts, however, and merely kept shaking his head.

"Give up, Ri," Saturday finally broke in. "If he doesn't want it, he doesn't have to eat it."

"But- but- come on!" Ri shook the bagel harder. "Just one bite! You know you want it!"

"No, no!" Alex finally burst out, shaking his head faster. "No, no!"

"There, see what you did? You scared the poor little guy into actually talking.... Oh, will you just stop already?" An exasperated Saturday finally snatched the rejected bagel from her co-performer's fingers. "He really doesn't want it, Ri!"

"Fine." Ri sighed, then picked up a blue plastic cup from the counter. "Will you at least drink some water?"

Alex stared at the contents of the cup warily before accepting it.

"Good boy." Ri patted his head fondly, then snatched her hand back. "Ugh! His hair's greasier than an oil slick! Boy, when was the last time you had a bath?"

Alex stared up at her wide-eyed.

"Don't, Ri, you'll make him cry again!"

Ri was immediately repentent. "Sorry, Alex.... But you really do need a bath." Then, as he lost interest in her and resumed drinking his water, she made scrubbing motions. "Bath?"

He shook his head. Ri had no clue what that meant, but she'd already made up her mind. "Okay then! Auntie Ri and Auntie Saturday are here to save the day! To the bath!"

Raising a fist in the air, she placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and steered him out of the trailer, Saturday following behind. "Ri, are you sure this is a good idea? He hasn't even gotten used to this place yet, much less us.... Ri? Ri, are you listening to me?..."

"I was thinking we could start with remedials in about an hour, and after lunch work on our act. We're pretty close to perfecting it and if we get the boss to watch us tomorrow we might get to preform in the next show."

------
After Practice.


"Wow, that was our best one so far. We should have had someone record it and give it to Humperdink. Although he probably wouldn't have watched it unless someone wrote 'The Estates' on it. Speaking of, I'm going to find the boss and see if he's in a better mood yet."

Dick went to Humperdink's trailer, but after several knocks and no answer he gave up. Since the boss isn't back yet maybe the kid said something since he's been here. Dick asked around and he found out suprisingly fast where Alex was. Dick walked in the trailer and saw Ri and Saturday trying to give him a bath.

"Hey Alex, nice to see you again." Dick said, obviously trying to not to laugh at their failed attempt to bathe him. The child jumped away from his captors and ran over to hug Dick, coming as a suprise to him. "It's nice to see you too. I'm not sure if you can understand me, but Humperdink should be back soon and when he is we should know how to help you."

Towards Ri and Saturday "Has he said anything that could let us know what's going on?" I wonder how much the boss told them, I better not say too much.

A thoroughly soaked Ri struggled to squirt shampoo onto Alex's hair, yelling at the top of her lungs as an equally soaked Saturday yelled just as loudly at her over Alex's screams of pain, trying at the same time to hold him down and get the soap out of his eyes. Just then, the door opened and he swiftly made his escape. Ri dropped the Max Wonder Formula: 89% more volume, shine, de-dandruffance and all around brilliance than ever before!!!! shampoo bottle, glaring at Dick as she pushed hanks of wet hair out of her face. "Thanks a lot. We almost had him."

"We did not! I told you this was a bad idea, Ri!" Saturday moaned as she wrung out her sopping hair.

Alex helpfully backed up her words by gazing fearfully at the two girls and pitiously up at Dick, gesticulating wildly as he told his untranslatable tale at high-speed.

Ri threw up her hands in exasperation. "Well, Humperdink said something about having to leave but being back by tonight. Meanwhile, he left Alex with us because he 'couldn't find anyone better'." She made quotation mark signs with her fingers. "He didn't say anything about what was up. All he told us was to keep an eye on Alex. Who apparently is his nephew," she added somewhat irrelevantly.

"Wait a minute," Saturday interrupted. She picked up a towel and threw it to Alex, who docilely used it to dry himself off as Ri glared at it. "How do you know Alex, anyway? You two've met before?"

"Think you can fool him back into the bath?"

"RI!!"

Lydia opned the door for sabri and smiled to her

"ahh good you could come honey, the dress is just done"

She leads her into a dressing room where the dress is already is lying and waits for her to try it on, when Sabri comes out with it on Lydia claps her hands happily

"Perfect, abselutely stunning!"

She walks around and makes sure it fits evenly

"well I would call it done, but please try to have it on for a while, feel how it moves on you, and become comfortable in it. Even try to train in it, just to make sure it doesn't hinders you in any way"

She pats Sabri on the shoulder

"and if you don't mind, I need a bath*

Before Sabri can answer, lydia has already taken her towel and other remedies and run towards the bath.
When inside she looks wide eyed on the scene in front of her

"oookkkaaayyy... One, why are you in here dick? I thought this was the ladies room? Two, what are you two doing?"

Lydia looks at the soaked Ri and Saturday and shakes her head, then she notices the little boy rambling on german

"aww, he's soo sweet! Was heist du? Ich heist Lydia, Ich bin der Formgestalter in diesem zirkus"

She smiles reassuring to Alex
____________________________________

ooc. sorry for the late reply, I hadn't had time for a while, but I'll try to be more on now ^^
ps. can anyone tell me what I said to Alex?

Lucie Hoult was dreaming. She was lying spread out in a pile of hay, surrounded by horses, and she was fast asleep. Her wild black hair had streamed out behind her head, and the position that she was lying in made her look almost comical; like she was running. Every so often one of the horses would edge closer and try to nugde her awake but it was no use. She had always been a heavy sleeper...

She stood, alone, at the edge of a burning barn. Screams echoed, but whether human voices were caught up with the horse's she didn't yet know. Helplessly she watched as a young woman burst from the flaming chaos, choking on the pungent smoke.

'Alejandro!!!'
The woman's voice pierced into Lucie's mind, but no one else was around. Nobody could help them. The woman looked around her desperately, as if help could be pulled out of nowhere. Lucie flinched instinctively as the woman's wild eyes looked straight at her, but then they passed right through her body. The woman looked to the left of the barn and saw a small caravan, just to the left of the raging fire. She seemed to debate in her mind what to do, but made a sudden choice and hurtled back into the barn.

Lucie watched in horror as minutes passed by and the woman did not resurface. After a few moments the fire had reached the caravan and smoke began to leak out of its windows.
A shriek, a wail, a horrific cry. A baby...

The woman was out in a flash, stopped only for a second to survey the scene. Looking in fear at the burning wagon, the woman composed herself and rushed inside. A second cry joined the first baby, and beams from the barn split as the whole structure leaned to the left.

Lucie's heart leapt as the woman half jumped, half fell out of the wagon's door. In her arms was a small bundle wrapped in several layers of blankets. The woman ran a few hundred metres away from the fire to where a water trough stood. Placing the baby down behind the water, she took one look at the campsite ahead of her. Lights were beginning to turn on. People were smelling the smoke.

Lucie wanted to shout at her, leave him! Please...just stay with the baby you've already saved. People will be here soon, they can help you. But with one look at the woman's pale, tearstained face, Lucie knew that she had already made her choice. The woman sprinted back towards the caravan and threw herself into the flames. There was no sound from the other baby now. Lucie thought she heard sobs, maybe a scream...She listened to the all too familiar sound of the horse barn falling onto the wagon, and hoped desperately that the shrieks she heard were not the dying screams of her mother.

Lucie shot up, and startled the horses around her with her sudden movement. She inwardly cursed herself for having fallen asleep with the horses again. She thought to herself how odd it was that she had dreamed this dream so many times throughout her life and it still shocked her every time.

She got up and checked on all the horses, making sure they were calmer now after the early wake up call that morning.

'Sleeping with the horses again are we Lucie?!'

Fara, the senior horse trainer, walked purposefully into the barn. She knew that Lucie got much needed comfort from her horses, and also knew that the horses would not be as well trained, or as happy, if Lucie wasn't there. Fara sometimes felt resentment for the way the horses all loved Lucie, but she understood it really. Lucie had grown up with them, the horses almost saw her as one of their own.

"Yeah, I...er..." Lucie stammered, unsure of whether Fara would be angry.

"Don't worry darling, I know you were just looking after them. Come and have something to eat, you slept through breakfast!"

"I actually think I need to wash first, some people don't appreciate the smell of horse hay!" Lucie grinned.

"Yes honey, make sure you get a change of clothes too" Fara looked down in amusement at Lucie's shabby grey t-shirt and shorts, both of which were covered in hay.

Lucie made a quick stop at her caravan and grabbed a clean red shirt and a pair of faded jeans, her wash stuff and a towel, before sprinting off to the wash room.

Hopefully it'll be empty this time of day...

Lucie stopped short at the sight of Dick, Lydia, Ri, Saturday and Alex all standing in the ladies bathroom. She blushed violently as she pictured herself, dishevelled, covered in hay and in very short shorts! Lydia looked over at her, and laughed.
Walking slowly up to her, Lydia pulled a few strands of hay out of Lucie's hair and muttered something under her breath.

"Oh...I..." Lucie didn't quite know what to say. She noticed the small boy that she hadn't seen before, rambling in an odd language to Dick. Blushing an even deeper shade of red as everyone turned around and noticed her. Lucie pulled away from Lydia and dashed into the nearest cubicle.

(anzu...you said...'what's you name? My name's Lydia, I'm the costume maker in this circus!' Lol. But I thought it was 'Wie heist du? Maybe I learned german wrong lol!)

smiling after lucie, Lydia feels the pull in her shirt from a little hand, and hears Alex' long and complicated answer.

"ooh really? you little poor thing.."

with a slightly smug grin, lydia turns to Ri

"you know, instead of force him to take a bath you should just have given him the soap and towel, he says that he is totally capable to handle himself"

Alex rises his cheek in regonicion of what he guessed was a repemande, Lydia continued

"but I do understand you, with a boy who you can't understand...."

she shakes her head

"You guys would never do well in Scandinavia... or the eastern Europe..."


(well I might have made a few grammar failures, haven't been using german for ages
Komm jetzt wir sehen ob der Americanen kann ein Gespräch verfolgen )

I know this is a double post but, I don't think anyone has noticed that I've edited so the storie can continue... No offence, just a little yellow sticker

please delete this post when noticed by enough people, this one shouldn't die just yet