Oktuberia, Oktuberia:why am I seeing two of you? OPEN/Circus

by **Darik** on November 9th, 2011, 9:15 pm

The little man, Bob, must have made it past the studious guard. He was truly surprised, he figured Bob had no combat skills whatsoever. His shock was wiped from his face when he saw what was following him. It was his vicious little dog. While Bob was useless, his dog was a terror. It never hesitated to attack Darik or even worse, pee on him while he was sleeping in bed. You may be laughing now, but when it happens to you and your mouth is open, you won’t be laughing.

As the man struggled to get up, Darik held out his hand to him. The foreigner didn’t take it, much more content about being shown as a weakling to the crowd. It was such a shame too, Darik had a special surprise if he took the sign of friendship. He would have pulled him up, then kicked him back to the ground. Sadly, he didn’t get to do that, because the man was a bad actor. He really should learn to take opportunities, because that’s all acting is about.

Bob’s hand snuck up to his collar and tried to grab it. Darik didn’t resist however tempting it was to counter it with a stab to a rib. He didn’t dare be a hypocrite, this was another one of those opportunities. However condescending it was, it was still a golden moment to demonstrate Darik’s acting skill. He thought of the response in his mind to make sure he wouldn’t ruin his chance for money, but it could still make things…much more interesting. “It seems that they think,”His voice rang loud and clear, he would not be ignored.” I, a Sunberthian, am trash. The foreigner is calling all of you trash. But ohh well,” He gave a shrug as they neared the exit. ”I guess you like be insulted by inferior men.”

He had turned his head to see the reactions of the crowd. Yet, his eyes drifted towards the Ringmaster and the Benshira. One was lording his triumph and the other was dismissing him like a small child. With their reactions he added both of them on his black list. Of course he wouldn’t kill the ringmaster personally, he was much too powerful, but if he died in one of his acts, no one would care. If what he said to the crowd carried enough weight, Idue wouldn’t see tomorrows’ sunrise.

Turning your head isn’t a good idea, because its bound to hit stuff. Darik slammed into one of the supports that was right by the door. He fell down, finally losing Bob’s grip. As he hastily got up, with anger plastered on his face. As he spoke he hastily exited from the stage. His voice was thick with rage. If the audience listened close enough they would hear Darik’s tantrum. ”Dammit bob, to think you can actually train animals is ridiculous. You can’t even lead an intelligent human being in the right direction!”

As Darik’s temper started to eek out, he realized he may have made the right move. Maybe the crowd liked accidental injury. You never know what Sunberthians want. As he followed Bob, he asked saw the front of the tent. There was two guadrs again, the younger one must have realized Darik wasn’t lying. Even though he had solved all of his problems there was still an important question to ask. ”man those guys are dicks.” Okay, maybe that was a statement but it served the same purpose. To wheedle information out of bob.

by **Essik** on November 11th, 2011, 9:53 pm

Inside the Circus Tent…

Essik smiled to the crowd as they clapped, bowing curtly to them as he soaked up some of the praise. It had been a good performance in his eyes. Nothing went wrong, the volunteers had all been quite sporting about the whole thing. Or at least he thought they had been at the moment. So he chalked it up as a good first act.

But that was before he heard the gasp of the audience. Some of them, at least. Mainly many of the women and children. Essik’s mind kicked into overdrive in a fraction of a second. He knew that sound. It was the sound of baited breath, of anticipated shock and terror. It was not a good sound. The audience knew something was happening that he didn’t. And since this was his act, that was definitely not a good thing. Essik quickly turned to see what his volunteer was doing. It had been foolish of him to take his eyes off the man, really. But the act had been over and he simply figured that the man would take it all in stride.

What a day for someone to take a joke the wrong way…

Essik’s eyes went wide as he looked over, catching the man out of the corner of his eyes as he wound back for the throw and loosed the knife back toward where it had originated from… Essik. Essik really hated when his mind started racing. It happened sometimes in situations like these. Everything seemed to slow down around him. He got slower, too. He couldn’t move any faster than anyone else, but his mind, for some reason, was able to soak up all the information quicker than normal. It made everything look slow. Even the knife, as it left Idue’s hand, tumbled along through the air slowly. Essik liked the fact that he could make decisions quicker that way, but he hated it at the same time. Because if his decision was a bad one, he got to watch everything unfold at an agonizingly slow pace.

Essik forced himself backward, fighting to keep his balance as he staggered back a step, his head rocking back and tossing his hood from his head, but effectively moving out from the path that the dagger took. But, unfortunately, that wouldn’t stop the dagger as it flew past him. And the only thing in its way after him would be the audience. Essik cringed visibly as his hand moved out, still moving at a snail’s pace. He locked his eyes onto the dagger, trying to count it’s rotations as he moved to possibly knock it off it’s course and to the ground. He wouldn’t have been able to take his eyes off the knife if he had wanted to, watching as his hand closed the distance, connecting with the metal of the weapon. Most of his hand hit against the handle, but at the blade rotated, the sharpened edge came back up, biting into the side of his hand. It didn’t bite too deep, thank the gods, but deep enough to draw a steady stream of blood from the wound.

The blade tumbled to the ground in an instant, it’s forward momentum robbed from it by Essik’s blow. The Ringleader bit back a startled cry of pain, instead grunting deeply and clutching his hand as everything flashed back to normal. Women and children gasped again in fight and some of the men rose to their feet quickly. Essik looked to Idue, his eyes flashing over in a barely controlled rage that rushed to the surface. But Essik held himself in check, clutching his hand to his chest tightly. He stood there, taking several deep breaths, looking to the ground as the drops of blood dropped from his hand to the dirt floor. He sighed heavily, pushing the anger back down to a controllable position. He looked back to the crowd, smiling once more, “Alas, I fear I was too correct about our brave volunteer. He’s brave enough to attempt open murder under the eyes of an audience.” Essik laughed out loud, shaking his head slowly, “But it is my own fault. My jest was not received well, was it? He looked around the audience once more as people joked laughed a little bit. “Unfortunately, my friends, that is all for this performance. The next act will start at the next bell. Leiwinn, our enchanting Benshira, will entice you with acts of martial prowess and mental discipline! Be sure to catch her act, my friends. Until we meet again.” Essik reached down, grabbing the knife from the ground and slotting it back into its sheath along his chest. He looked over to Idue, clenching his teeth for a moment ad taking another deep breath before he bowed his head to the man. He walked over to the board, using his good hand to remove the blades from the wood and slot them back into their places, but he didn’t say a word.

by **Archelon** on November 12th, 2011, 8:53 pm

Inside the Circus Tent...
@Essik, Idue

Libayna "Libby" Dalagnar looked down upon the carnage and motioned to one of the guards near her before she whispered into his ear, making a few motions down towards the center of the ring before lounging luxuriously back against whites. Soon enough the guard walked back out of sight and a few minutes later the curtains were drawn as Essik was unceremoniously shoved into her presence, denude of all forms of knives or implements, they had been thorough in their search for such things. At his side another man with a surgeon's kit readied a few of his implements as he began to pay no heed to the happenings which were about to take place.

Libby's one eye glanced at him, her gaze rolled over his body from head to toe as a malicious little smile came to her lips as Essik was shown to a chair. Soon enough, the silence inside the small 'viewer's booth' in the stands seemed to take a sharp counterpoint to the mirth of the stands as the next act went on center ring. Libby didn't care though, she stretched as she stood, walking over to grab a few grapes from a bowl to taste their luxury before promptly depositing herself on Essik's lap.

When Essik opened his mouth to speak a quick finger over his lips would stop him as the woman deposited a grape within his mouth and promptly forced him to shut his jaw. For whatever reason, she wanted him quiet right now, here within the wolf's den. Even whites' hackles were raised as he looked at the man, wondering if he would be his next meal.

With one finger , Robern's daughter slowly traced a line across the ringmaster's chest and then moved it down over one muscular arm to the injured hand. The appendage was still bleeding , even if it perhaps was wrapped hastily by the man she was presently fascinated with.

What happened next would be a strange turn of events as slowly Libby turned the hand upwards and removed the bandages before she slowly bent her neck downwards, her tongue came out to lick the blood from the wound before she sat back with a sigh and a slight laugh. The experience would be painful to Essik but as the woman leaned back it would seem she had a new lipstick of darkest red. "Mhmhmhmmm, absolutely delicious my dear ringmaster. Better then grapes. I couldn't help but notice how well you did back there. This wound would be dangerous if someone didn't clean it up."

That much was true, knife wounds to the hand, especially slashing ones tended to cut tendons, or puncture deeply resulting in some loss of function. How Libby would have alluded to that? Essik probably wouldn't know.

She motioned idly for the man with the implements to come forwards as she held Essik's arm out tightly , not letting him jerk away as the surgeon began his work idly. If Essik recognized him, he would have seen the sure mask of Dr. Patronius humming idly as the hand began to be stitched up, and then lathered with honey to prevent infection before it was wrapped.

All the while this was happening Libby would remain, humming along with the good Doctor as he worked, watching the procedure intently as if it intrigued her. Whatever the reason, she would release small sighs of pleasure up until the point it was done, in which case her lips would scrunch up into a pout.

But only for a moment, the woman bit her thumbnail a little before she laughed again. Turning towards the man, her lone eye met Essik's, "Now, I really do think I should give you a little souvenir for coming to see lil' ol me and that bit of knifework. Don't you think? I guess it could be in advance for a ... more private performance later. I'd love to see you throw those again... of course." She leaned closer to whisper in his ear, "I'd expect you to be able to show how they work against live targets. We have a few that Daddy dearest doesn't want strung up , but rather staked on a board. Your little knives would be a wonderful way to extend their pain! So just think about it and come to see me at the mansion if it interests you."

Her hands slipped something in his pocket before he was shown out of the curtains and tossed out of her sight. On the way down the nearby steps in the stands, Essik would pass Idue who would seem to be a little roughed up before her guards dragged him into her presence.

Turning towards the new man in her little box, Libby wondered aloud... "Oh, so what should I do with you then?"

Essik :

oocNext Act Please! Idue: front and center with a post

.

by **Idue** on November 13th, 2011, 8:14 pm

Inside circus tent

Maybe Idue didn't understand how city people and their jokes, but it sure didn't seem like one. But as the Benshira watch Essik step back, picturing worry on his face under his hood. Idue figured maybe in the future he could handle jests like that. Because at the moment he had a future, while Essik didn't if he couldn't dodge the dagger flying at him. Because Essik as skilled missed people, Idue was not and he hit those he threw at. Thinking about it for a moment, it did seem ironic. But who was thinking about irony at the moment?

Idue watched as Essik stumbled back, his hood falling from his head. He dodged the dagger, but didn't just let it fly at someone in the crowd. Instead he swatted it out of the air, using his dexterity to knock the dagger out of the air. While some others couldn't here the ringmaster, Idue could. And he heard the man's grunts. He saw the blood dropping from his hand onto the ground. He witnessed what nearly cost the man his life. It seemed everytime the Benshira reacted without thinking, someone nearly died. First Eridanus and now Essik. Idue also learned that those with a name starting with "E" was in trouble around him. Sure Essik disliked it when his mind was rushing, but could he put up with the thoughts Idue put up with?

But Essik didn't take the near-death experience any further. Instead he smiled to the crowd, jesting about how Idue was brave enough to commit murder. But Idue wasn't hurt that he continued to be the butt of his man's jokes. Instead he wondered what murder was in Sunberth. When was it really considered murder, punishable by a higher power? Who was that higher power in the first place? The man announced the next performance, a Benshira by the name of Leiwinn. Idue was tempted to stay and meet a fellow Benshira, but the look that Essik gave him as he collected his daggers turned Idue's feet around for him. The Benshira headed back in the directions of the stands, knowing he'd much rather meet Bob Barton in a dark alley instead of the ring-master.

And he was sure he'd rather meet Bob than who met him as he headed back for the stands. Two Daggerhands, their hands on the swords at their waist, barred his way into the stands. Idue didn't know he wasn't the only person being rounded up by guards, and his hands reached to his waist without thought. But he brought them up before these men considered it a threat. Idue didn't know what they wanted with him. And appearing to be frightened into violence was not a good start. Sure he could kill these two, but what about the other hundred in the tent? Could he possibly kill them all?

So instead Idue made a slight bow, and tried to step by them. Maybe this was just an intimidation tactic and they wanted nothing to do with him. But Idue truly didn't understand the minds of these men. And that cost him as the man closest to him struck him in the side of his head with his fist. Idue stumbled back, unaware of the second Daggerhand who brought his knee into his gut. Idue dropped to his knees, but he wasn't beat just yet. He swung out, delivering a wild punch to the groin of the man who hit him in the gut. The man stumbled back and Idue climbed to his feet ducking quickly to dodge a strike from the still-standing Daggerhand. Idue stepped around the man, and stomped his knees out from under of him, but didn't get any further as he was struck from behind by something hard. The Benshira dropped onto the ground, blackness overcoming him.

But it only lasted for a few moments, but in that time both his axes had been taken, and he was in between the two men being dragged over to where the rest of the Daggerhands were. He didn't go up the stands to where the curtains were, instead sitting outside at the bottom with the two men he had just fought with. And they made sure Idue learned not to fight them. He was there for a few chimes, but they were sure to do what they could. His nose was bleeding, the blood soaking into his beard, and he was sure his stomach would be blue for weeks. But the beating ceased, and Idue was dragged into the real nightmare. Idue passed Essik on the way up the stands, but he didn't notice at all. He only pictured what was behind those curtains. What awaited him besides Libby?

And Libby was there, and Idue lost all previous flirtatious desires towards her. It was creepy to try and seduct a woman with one eye. Yes, that was what Idue though upon seeing her. Being dragged to what might be his last hour alive, and he thought about how disgusting this woman looked with the absence of one eye. Essik truly could not handle a racing mind if the thoughts were Idue's.

Idue tried to draw himself up even though he was being held on his feet by two Daggerhands. He tried to look stronger even though his axes weren't at his waist. The woman asked what she should do with Idue, and the Benshira shook his head. He wanted to spit, but that wouldn't be a good first impression. As if his bloody tunic wasn't already trashy. But he wasn't just going to stand there, beaten while she pondered. If he was going to die, he might as well do it how he wanted to.

"Give me my axes and one of your men and I'll show you what would've happened if Essik hadn't dodged that dagger. One of your man's life against mine. Or better yet, my life against yours. I lose, then I'm dead anyway. But if I win, I watch you draw the dagger across that beautiful neck of yours yourself." That was so out of character, but it felt right to Idue. He'd love to see the blood run down the neck of this woman after what he just went through. After tonight, Idue wouldn't feel bad if every Daggerhand meant the same fate. Death by handaxes.

by **Bob Barton** on November 13th, 2011, 9:09 pm

Inside the Circus Tent...

If only Bob had lingered around to see Essik's performance, then he could have shown that upstart benshira a thing or two. Even Idue would not be able to dispute that anything that Bob would have in store for him is better than the treatment he would get from Libby and her muscle though Bob's plans would also involve revenge from their training in Stumble Alley earlier in the season. Actually it was debatable. Would a smash at the crotch or getting roughed up be worse? All this was only moot though since Bob had bigger problems to address, namely Darik and unless Darik did something stupid enough to piss off Bob, nothing bad like what Bob would plan for Idue would happen to him too. Still peeved Bob continued dragging Darik to the exit trying to ignore the boy's usual attempts to make himself important right until he felt a quick jolt on his arm when Darik smashed into the support.

"The right direction for you is in the trash heap or the Dust Bed if the world was so lucky" he announced with a snarl holding out his hand at Jinsen to tell it to withhold itself from attacking or comforting Darik. Bob would never know what his dog would do even after being with it for so long just like Darik's nonsense he had to put up with almost daily at work. Darik should know by now that Bob was a lot better at handling the animals so what he just said was an insult and felt the eyes of some people who overheard Darik's words on him. If he did not make himself look better now, they are going to have a lower expectations of his act and might skip it altogether. Shyke...Darik was supposed to be helping Bob out today and not the other way around.

It serves Bob right if his act turned out bad since he was always making bad calls everytime Darik was involved. "Intelligent? I am not sure yet since I have yet to lead anyone like that" insinuating that Darik was not. "And yes, I don't think that I should be able to train animals since I cannot even control a wild brat like you, but..." With a smile full of malice for Darik, Bob turned to Jinsen and balled his hand up telling the dog in a babying voice that "Darik seems to think that you are ridiculous Jinsen. Why don't you just show him how you feel?" sticking out his tongue a little bit for a few quick licks to illustrate what it always does. If Jinsen felt as strongly about Darik then he will use the chance to act. Aggression just as Bob to attack or happiness to slobber on his face did not matter so long as Bob was able to make it look like Bob had trained Jinsen to attack Darik on his command.

After the pre-act act was done, Bob will make his way to the room for performers. He might meet some of the workers on the way but he was more interested in talking to Essik as soon as possible for what he was going to do. Jinsen was his dog true and Bob's friends seem to be a little bit accepting of it but he hardly thought that his dog will be good enough for an act. Not even Darik helping would help since everyone knows that "you will fit in well with them then" since Darik was a one on his own "except you are not as big in reality as I think you are." Bob did not really have any information and chose to ignore it letting his subtle insult make its way into Darik if the boy thought on it a little bit longer.

Entering through the door he would look around and ask someone "is Essik not here then? No?" While this was the first time most of the people recruited specially for Oktuberia had seen him, he only asked the ones he knew from before telling them to "tell him I am already waiting here." Looking at Darik, Bob will tell him to "Just sit down and don't touch anything or Jinsen..." How many times did Bob had to resort to the threat of his dog again? Its effectiveness is going to run out sooner or later so he decided to instead say "...I mean one of the animals" which one should he choose. He did not know what to expect today but with what he knew about other performances he decided to say "like the tigers will have some fresh meat for the act" grinning again to tell Darik that whichever meaning he wanted "is all up to you."

Bob being Bob got bored pretty fast and since he did not have to issue himself any warnings he started to pick up some random things around. One of them was a stool and a whip which he thought might be useful for his coming act. "Come on Jinsen, lets try this out because I don't think Darik would like to join you." Holding the stool between himself and the dog Bob would tell it that "I got something niceeeee here for you" with a little cackle. It was not really nice because when the dog charged to pounce at the face, Bob cracked the whip a distance away from both its sides making a loud sound which caught its attention. "Come on Jinsen. Don't you want to come?" he asked again and the answer was Jinsen running away straight away. "I was only joking. See?" he said throwing the whip and stool to the sides and opps...the stool smashed right on one of the supports breaking off a leg but since only the dog was his here, Bob chased after it crying out that "I am sorry so stop wasting my time chasing you unless you want to get kidnapped by an evil Sunberth man!" but after the whip, Bob would be the most evil person to the dog for a while.

OOCJust waiting for you now Essik

by **Darik** on November 15th, 2011, 11:10 pm

The dammed dog followed Darik wherever he went with Bob. It was as if Bob didn’t trust him. Sure, it was a good precaution, but if Bob never gave Dairk a chance to surprise him he would never see any improvement. Not that Darik would magically turn good, it would just be much more profitable if he didn’t have a four legged creature making sure he behaved.

Bob, must think Darik was a dog because he constantly degraded him. Wait, Bob must think he is lower than a dog because he seemed to treat the dog pretty well. For some reason though, Bob seemed to want the dog to lick Darik. Any little child would be excited to have a shaggy dog lick them to death, but Darik wasn’t little. The slobbering mutt lifted itself onto its hind paws and started licking Darik’s chin. After a few seconds of pushing, he finally got it off. “Bob, you’re pushing me to the edge. Next time that happens he may get a knife in your throat.”

When Bob commanded him to sit down, Darik snorted. He wouldn’t take orders from the little man. Though, his legs were pretty tired. As he lounged in the chair, he looked around the room. There weren’t as many people as he originally thought, how many of them were actually real members and not just rented to them? Because frankly, the guards would have to be to allow Darik, a complete unknown, even show them his act.

Bob left first obviously bored of practicing patience. Darik’s smirk grew larger, he had bested Bob in a competition. Not that it was much to celebrate, he always won, but that didn’t mean winning had lost its appeal. Still, he didn’t last much longer in his chair because he decided to explore the wonderful scenery around him. It was big, so he figured something must be of interest.

There actually was. Darik turned into one of the rooms to find no one in it. Not to say that there was nothing at all in it. There just wasn’t much. To the side lay a table, a book, and a bag filled with stuff. Then to the other were these mirrors all laid out for some reason. They weren’t the kind that changed shape….they were just mirrors. Very odd indeed. Even odder was the space in-between them, it was plentiful.

Darik, being curious walked over to the table to see if there was a note anywhere. Maybe even a paper to explain why the room was like this. Nope none at all, his earlier sightings had been correct. He was close enough to see the title of the book of though. There were words, but no pictures on it. How lame, but Darik knew not to judge a book by a cover. He opened it up and a glee came across his face. There were pictures!

They were all handrawn to precise detail. To the left of them were words but Darik didn’t care about them. For each big word, there were three pictures. For each page there were two big words, so there were six pictures a page. They were all doing odd stuff to Darik, but at least it was better than listening to Bob. As he flipped through the pages he found a really cool picture. It was so cool he even tried to read the big word on the page.

”Ca, Ca, Ca, Cant, Cant, Cant, Cantwheel? No, that’s wrong. That just looks like an added letter. Man this writer is stupid for adding a letter. Even a five year old wouldn’t do that. So it must be catwheel. That’s a stupid name, but I guess cats do wheels.” Darik spoke to himself aloud because he wanted to grace everyone else with his knowledge. What he didn’t know though was that he was doing it so he could formulate the words. If anyone told him that, he would have denied it till the day he died. He had never failed at anything, so he couldn’t fail at something as simple as reading.

Looking at the picture, he decided he would try it. It didn’t look too hard, if a picture could do it then he could to. The picture had the person with their body as an x, with both of the feet longer than shoulder width apart, and Darik thought that was stupid. He did it though, trusting that the effort put into the art was accurate.

He then leaned sideways about to do the trick. He stopped at the last second with his hands almost on the ground. He straightened himself up thinking of chickening out. He thought book was probably just for stupid people, not for people like him. Inside he was the tiny bit of afraid. He knew he was invincible though, so he discarded that emotion. As he got back into X position, he followed through the motions in his mind. Easy enough, if he imagined it, he could do it.

As he fell down, he shut his eyes tightly. All of the weight was on his arms for a fraction of a second, then he was back on his feet. Oddly he was on the ground and not in his starting position, but the book had to be wrong. He did it a few more times to show off his awesomeness. The fifth time he practiced, he opened his eyes. He then figured out what the mirrors were for. They were for him to evaluate his progress. He was doing it all wrong! No wonder he was landing so close to the ground, his legs didn’t form an x in the air.

Once the problem was sighted it wasn’t hard to solve. The next time he did it, he actually did all the steps in the book. As he glanced at the mirror it seemed his body moved like a wheel. No wonder it had wheel in it! He still wondered were the cat part came from. Maybe when nobody was looking cat’s would do this, so they named it after them.

Thinking of ways to make his new found trick cooler, Darik decided to try two of them in a row. The first one was amazing like always. But on the second one he made a mistake. He accidentally let one of his feet face sideways instead of forward. This screwed up the trajectory and caused him to go forward instead of sideways. Realizing this he tried to stop, but his feet weren’t on the ground at the time. He tottered on one hand and fell backwards. He landed directly on his ass, and the ground didn’t help at all.

He got up and rubbed the area softly. “UHHH!!! I was wrong, it is a Cantwheel. Its impossible!” Darik thought of throwing the book in rage but that would be childish. He put it back down, walking slowly hoping the pain would go away. As he put it down, he looked in the bag. Inside was a variety of things but the main was makeup. Darik stifled a laugh, he knew who this was for. He walked outside the room and confronted Bob. ”I see you forgot your makeup.”

by **Leiwinn** on November 18th, 2011, 10:42 pm

Right Outside the Big Top

The man was a mule, the ugliest and last of her challengers for the morning before her act, and he was determined to not only get his kiss, but his money back as well. Forty-five seconds into the match and he had nearly taken Leiwinn down twice. Her outfit was torn, which Leiwinn didn't mind because in the end it was all about pleasing the crowd and getting more money, and her hair was a mess. Normally Leiwinn would simply allow herself to loose in the face of an opponent of any skill. The loss of one match only brought more customers.. but Leiwinn really didn't want to kiss this particular customer. Not at all.

The man lunged for her again, fifty seconds in, and Leiwinn decided it was time to end it. The crowd had begun to chant, "Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three.." Leiwinn narrowed her eyes, stepping to the side of the hideous oaf, and began to twist her body. Her hands shot out in front of her, lightly skimming the ground as she used them to maintain her balance. Her leg extended out behind her as it whipped around in a circle, coming up behind the man and connecting with the back of his legs. It hurt a little, the force of her shin hitting the back of his, as it had been some time since Leiwinn had actually attacked someone but the effect was still the same. His legs flew out from under him and the man's backside slammed down into the ground as Leiwinn returned to a standing position. "Fifty-nine.. sixty!"

Leiwinn smiled down at the man and offered him a hand which he did not take. She stepped back as he climbed to his feet, still smiling. "I'm sorry, sir, two seconds two short." Before the man had a chance to protest Leiwinn turned away, and Carlo stepped up to block the man's path in case he tried to pursue. "You heard her, time to go." Once the man left Carlo addressed the crowd, telling them the show was over but that if they wanted to see more of the 'saucy Benshira' the could see her act in the big top at noon. Leiwinn disappeared into her tent to clean up, and wasn't seen again until it was time for her performance.

Inside the Big Top

Unfortunately Leiwinn was unable to see any of Essik's act, she had pushed the time line as close as possible and didn't enter the big top until it was her turn to enter the stage. She didn't know that the ring leader was currently up in the private viewing booths being intimidated by a beautiful one-eyed woman, or that his act had nearly fallen apart due to the antics of certain individuals. The crowd looked happy enough, and Leiwinn was ready to go on stage so she thought nothing of it. The torches were covered, shrouding the ring in darkness as Leiwinn took her place at the center. Leiwinn was dressed in black, and glitter had been thrown over her clothing so that it shimmered in the torchlight whenever she moved. Leiwinn took a deep breath and waited for her cue.

Music began, a soft and mysterious solo on the mandolin, and a few of the shrouds on the torches were removed, illuminating the enchanting figure in the center of the ring. Leiwinn began to move slowly, and the glitter on her dress shimmered in the torchlight. Her knee bent slightly, and then ever so slowly it lifted, her leg extending out of the slit of her dress and up, up, until it was almost vertical in the air. Leiwinn was no dancer, but balance and flexibility were key components to any form of martial arts, and she held her pose to the best of her ability for a few moments before the tempo changed and with it so did Leiwinn. Her foot dropped, her knee bending, and she quickly pivoted on her other foot until she had spun a full circle. In doing so she performed a reverse roundhouse with her already raised foot before letting it finally touch back to the ground softly, poised and ready for another attack.

The dance went on, Leiwinn gracefully moving about mimicking the scene of a battle against many opponents. Always she would twirl and spin, her dress shimmering, and faster and faster she would move as the tempo began to increase and the rest of the band joined in. Leiwinn threw punches, she leaped about, she kicked invisible foes, and all of them fell before her as she fought her imaginary battle. Roundhouses and sweeps were common in her performance, for they were the most dazzling, but so to did she perform flying kicks and even a few more basic moves. The grand finale of her dance came when someone hidden from view tossed a plate into the air, and Leiwinn's foot literally shot straight up over her head to shatter it. The shards fell down around her and more plates were thrown. Leiwinn attacked them all as the music took on a dramatic tone, punching and kicking the plates out of the air. A few times she missed them, but the plates always shattered when they hit the ground and it was hard for any but a keen eye to spot her mistakes. The final plate was thrown and Leiwinn leapt into the air, twisting her body around and kicking the plate with the heel of her foot, shattering it and landing on both feet. Immediately she fell into a deep bow, awaiting her applause as the last of the shrouds were removed from the torches and the entire arena was lit once more.

"Thankyou very much," she shouted as she came back up from her bow. When the applause died down she shouted again. "Now, I'm going to need three volunteers from the audience!"

Leiwinn scanned the audience, searching for volunteers. She looked for people who appeared tough, but unskilled. People who she could use to put on a good show, but could still easily take down when the time came. The final portion of her act could go many ways, and once in Zeltiva it had been disastrous, but the audience always loved it no matter what happened. If Leiwinn could help it, though, she would pick the right kind of people to steer it the way she wanted it to go. If not.. oh well, the show must go on.

OOCSorry for taking so long everybody. Now, I don't have to have 3 volunteers, I can always npc them, but anyone who wants to volunteer is more than welcome.

by **Jerico** on November 18th, 2011, 11:35 pm

Inside the Circus Tent...

After Essik’s performance and surprising ending Jerico was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with playing with the group. Staying in his spot he watched Essik take his knife and move to take the rest. Along with seeing him collect his knives Jerico watched him be led away by a guard. A shiver went down his spine, the thought of being dragged away was not one that went well with him nor did the thought of Essik being led off.

Soon enough Essik came back into view from the private box. Jerico breathed a sigh of relieve that their ringmaster was okay, at least from here he seemed okay. Moving his attention away from Essik and putting thoughts of guards and mysterious meetings from his head he brought his hand up to play, it was time for the next act.

Although Jerico was becoming more and more comfortable within the group of players it was by himself that he truly shined. He began with a slow and soft tune, Leiwinn’s cue to take the stage. While most would have their attention on the Benshira that was now moving around the ring in her dance, Jerico’s eyes were closed, his mind focused only on his mandolin and the mysterious music that now filled the air because of it.

The song he had chosen matched perfectly with Leiwinn’s battle dance, there were a few times when Leiwinn moved faster than the song or Jerico himself played too slowly or quickly as the act continued but these were to be expected. He was good, but not perfect.

Then the rest of the band joined in as Jerico’s solo ended and the tempo began to rise. Opening his eyes he continued to play with the band, for the rest of the act they would be playing in a group. Watching Leiwinn dance he smiled, wondering what he had missed during the beginning of the act. While the entire band was playing one could make a slight mistake and it not affect the song greatly, though there wasn't a doubt that they did miss a few notes here and there as the act continued. Then came the finale.

As the first plate flew into the air Jerico and the band’s music went from a loud, fast tempo to almost silent slow one. The moment she struck, shattering the plate, their tempo it shot back up. More plates flew and the group continued to drop the tempo and then continue when Leiwinn moved to strike a plate. With the final plate in the air Leiwinn jumped into the air, the group sounded their final note, holding it as she was in the air and letting it go once she was back on the ground.

With that part of the act over Jerico let his mandolin lay in his lap with the strap still around his neck. The rest of the band moved to their own positions of rest, all of them awaiting the continuation of the act. While it seemed easy for them to just play along with the act it was actually very tiring to play continuously for long periods of time.

Even while playing in a tavern or in the street Jerico always took breaks between songs as to not tire out quickly. To play from during one act and then straight into another they would have to take every chance to rest they could.

by **Archelon** on November 28th, 2011, 5:05 am

Inside the Circus Tent

If Idue's words were meant to impress or scare Robern's daughter they had little ... if no effect. Instead, she seemed to gesture slightly as her guards forced him to sit in a chair before she moved in closer to him.

Really close, as in straddling his waist and twirling a finger down his chest suggestively. "Oh my, Idue. My poor dear little man. I know you didn't mean that. I didn't ask them to hurt you... oh the foul tempered brutes. I'll be sure they pay for their enthusiasm later. But first I want you to be a dear and have some wine, okay?"

At her words the two men pulled Idue's head back away from their mistress as they kept his arms at his sides. Libby's arm reached out casually to pick up a rather large bottle of wine that must have costs over sixteen gold mizas if the glasswork was anything to go by. "There now, drink a little to ease your pain."

With a twist of her wrist the Dalanger pulled the cork and promptly upended the bottle above Idue's head. Rivulets of wine flowed freely from the bottle's mouth, filling his mouth with the grape distilled beverage. It was tasty to be sure, but it's amount was choking to him as some sloshed its way over his face as he tried to jerk away or dripped into his wounds. The alcoholic beverage stang within his opened cuts and bruises and the swill seemed to gag him.

Eventually Libby stopped pouring the mixture and sighed, "You know, I was impressed by you out there... Imagine trying to kill a wee little ringmaster due to being made a fool. In front of all these people too. I must say I like that killer in you... Now, if you apologize for your tone, can we start over here? I'd very much like to see you try to kill someone again. Perhaps a match at the Blood pits, or at tall johnny's maybe? A one time offer you know... with an equaly value of price of course."

Through his groaning in pain Idue would mutter something that was incapable of being heard.

"What... was that a no? That's two bad. Well the offer shall remain a short time, but only if you come to me at the mansion. I'll have one of the captains help choose an opponent that's up to your size. Until then... Libby unstraddled the man and went to grab a small pouch of thirty gold mizas off the table, she tossed it disdainfully down into the span between Idue's legs, causing pain to his manhood as the insult was added to the injury because of his struggles.

"Bye bye now, Ta Ta!" Waving to him , Libby spoke one last time as the Daggerhands hauled him up to throw him out of the circus tents entrance and the curtains were opened to view the next act.

@ LeiwinnSince no one seems to be coming up as volunteers ^-^. I'll let you control the npcs I'm giving here a little.

Don't abuse them and keep the Named One in character!

Merv... Old MervStats are at the Location: Pig's Foot Tavern. stood from the stands where he had stumbled in. He was piss drunk off the tasting of local vintages for his tavern and he looked at the little lass appraisingly as two othersUnarmed 14, and Unarmed 20 respectively rose from the stands as well.

Taking a glance over the former assassin's body , seeing what others usually didn't the old bartender spoke up. "Well lil' lady. I'll be glad helping ya' if you wish though I'm not gonna ask for a kiss like that bloke outside. Instead I'll ask for merely a good bit of fun for this ol' timer, just to let you test yar skills. So what'ya want me to do, Eh? I usually don't like people, hell I in fact hate 'em soundly so a bit of fun like this might let me break a few teeth ya know?"

The old man's eyes looked at leiwinn from a deceptively bearded face as he seemed amused by it all, [b]"Speak up Lassie, we don't have all day!"

by **Leiwinn** on December 8th, 2011, 7:11 pm

Leiwinn wasn't particularly familiar with the residents of Sunberth. In her youth she had always been secluded, and in the time had been on her own in the city she was to focused on survival to get to know the names of anybody. Still, Leiwinn could recognize a fighter when she saw one. The other two men seemed to recognize the man as well, which meant he was.well know for something. I'd better do him last. If I can take down somebody people respect it will prove my skill.. but this could also end badly. Hopefully he doesn't know anything about magic.

"Well sir, I hope you enjoy the show then. What was your name so we can introduce you to the audience?" Leiwinn reached out to shake Merv's hand as he answered. Her grip was firm, but nothing meant to impress. What was unsettling about the handshake was the magic that came with it. Leiwinn tapped into her djed, the power inside that fueled all her magic, and pushed down her arm and through her hand into his. What did this magic do? All Leiwinn did was transmit a simple feeling, elicit a simple emotional response. If her magic worked properly, Merv would feel the slightest bit of self doubt. Not enough to cripple him, that wasn't how conditioning worked. It was better to pile on subtle after subtle suggestion until it built itself into the desired result. Leiwinn was not an expert, but the wonderful thing about magic was that unless you were schooled in it, you probably didn't know how to defend against it.

Leiwinn introduced herself to the other two as well, Phillip and Marius, before she turned back to the audience. "Let's hear it for our three volunteers, everybody! Phillip, Marius, and Merv!"

Leiwinn turned back to her three volunteers. "Alright, Mariusthe one with 20, you'll be up first, so just stand right over there. Phillip, you are going to be second. And Merv," Once again Leiwinn called on her djed, coating her words in it's hypnotic essence. Leiwinn felt a slight pressure in her head, like a mild headache, as she spoke. "Merv, you will be my last victim." Again she didn't transmit outright fear, but another layer. It was a bit more of self doubt, and a dose of heightened respect for Leiwinn's ability. If it all worked properly, he would begin to doubt his ability to take on this woman who he now had a healthy respect for her own.

Her act had been performed in the past, but Leiwinn was out of practice. She wanted to do something original, but for her first performance she figured she should probably play it safe. "Alright," Leiwinn yelled loud enough for both her volunteers and the audience to hear, "Marius here is going to punch me! He has three tries to land a solid blow! Are you ready, Marius? Try to hit me!" Marius chuckled, figuring it was all a joke. Of course he could hit the woman, not that he usually hit women.. but she wanted him to do it. So, not holding anything back, Marius threw his first punch. More often than not her volunteers held back on the first punch, so Leiwinn was pleasantly surprised when she saw a real one coming her way. It wasn't a bad punch either, but Leiwinn could tell from the get go that he wasn't as skilled as she. His body gave away his intent, and Leiwinn saw the attack coming early on. She generally liked to let her reactions start small and build up, that it all depended on the punch, and this attack required a bit more than usual. Leiwinn's hand shot up as she stepped to the slide, her palm pushing his arm out to her left and latching onto his wrist as she stepped under his arm. Leiwinn's turned sideways and thrust her hips backward into the man's mid-section, knocking him off balance. Still holding his arm, she used her hips as leverage and up he went, flipping over the woman and being thrown down onto his back in front of her.

"Not bad, but that was your first try, Marius. You'll have to do better than that! I tell you what, if you can land a hit on me, I'll throw in a kiss just like outside!"

Marius climbed to his feet, shooting the assassin an icy glare as he dusted himself off. Leiwinn took two steps back and waited for the next attack to come. The man took a moment to catch his breath before he attacked again, another furious assault, but he came much closer to landing a hit that time. Leiwinn dodged to the right and jabbed out with her fist at his ribs, winding the man and sending him staggering back a step. He didn't even wait for Leiwinn to speak before he attacked a third time, throwing another punch which Leiwinn just barely blocked. A fourth came in, and on the fifth he finally landed a blow of his own! "Haha! I got you! Not so.." The man stopped gloating when Leiwinn recovered, twisted around and sunk low to the ground, and with a sweeping kick of her legs she took his feet out from under him.

"Congratulations, you got me. Only took you five tries, clearly you are a superior warrior. Let's give it up for Marius, people!"

The audience cheered and laughed, and Marius was ushered off the stage. While she waited for him to leave and Phillip to take his place she called on her djed once more, shooting Merv a cool smile as if everything had gone according to plan and she was completely in control. Along with that look came a spine tingled, magic induced, feeling coupled with all the other layers of conditioning she had been sending Merv's way. The headache returned, worse than before, but it still wasn't enough to worry the Benshira. She still had time before she pushed too far.

Phillip came out onto the stage and Leiwinn introduced him to the audience once more, before going into the explanation of what she was about to do. "Okay Phillip, together we are going to demonstrate how knowledge can help you win any fight. The human body has man weak spots. To demonstrate, I am going to take you down with just one finger!" Leiwinn turned to the crowd and held up her index finger for all to see. She waved it slowly back and forth for a moment before suddenly bursting into movement. Leiwinn turned toward Philip and her hand shot out, finger extended. In a real fight she probably would use just one finger, but it was enough for her purposes. Her finger connected with the pressure point just below the collar bone and the surprise man crumpled to the ground in front of her. The audience cheered, and Leiwinn helped the man up, waving him off the stage.

Then came Merv's turn. Throughout the entire performance Leiwinn had been shooting hypnotic djed his way, filling him with self doubt, intimidating him, trying to make him see her as something more than she really was. It was time for the final emotion. As Merv moved into position with Leiwinn in the ring, her eyes transmitted the emotion of fear. Though it was just a friendly performance, if her magic was successful, Merv would genuinely believe Leiwinn was going to kill him. It was the perfect place to do it, it would just look like an accident. In the past some people had run away before she ever even finished her speech. Merv was stronger willed than that.

"Now for the grand finale! I will defeat Merv.. ...by doing nothing at all!"

Leiwinn wasn't worried about Merv overhearing. Most people were usually so caught up in the emotions Leiwinn implanted in them that they didn't even hear what she said, and even if they did it might not be enough to snap them out of it. Leiwinn turned toward Merv and gave him one last push, one last suggestion. If all the conditioning paid off, he would be overcome with the urge to flee the stage. Leiwinn waited, the crowd waited. What would happen? Leiwinn hated that she never really knew. She just had to wait and see.