AU: Come one, Come all! [Lani]

[Lani Hunter]

Lani took a mouthful of meat and as he chewed he smiled. He covered his mouth with his hand as he swallowed. It was very optimistic to be thinking about life after this adventure. An adventure, that was what it would surely be, Lani just hoped it had a happy ending. If they got a happy ending Lani would look back at this moment and laugh even harder. Lani wanted to taste freedom and Karalie was the logical one in this situation. To be honest, if Lani had it his way he would take Karalie with him and they would disappear into the wind. Karalie reminded him that there were others they should think about. The telekinetic sobered and looked down at the last of the morsels in his hands. Maybe that was the primary difference between them, Lani would just leave, but Karalie would be thinking all the time about those they left behind.

Peaking up at her, Lani could see the turmoil in her eyes. What was it that made them so different? Karalie had a soft heart and now Lani could see that it broke. Lani on the other hand found sadness in his heart for his fellows and he would hold them close to his heart but he would do what it took because he couldn’t stand to be here one more day. Karalie always kept Lani human, when he would much rather focus on himself and ignore the suffering of those in favor of his own, Karalie always reminded him to look away. Lani reached out and squeezed her hand. There were no consoling words right now. They were both planning on leaving their brethren behind to continue suffering. Lani’d just made peace with it easier than Karalie, and maybe that meant there was something wrong with him.

Lani finished his bread and turned his eyes up to Karalie and watched her unblinking. Lani ignored his stomach begging for more food and gave Karalie his full attention. He shook his head at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. Lani’s eyes went wide then his brow creased with worry. “You sell yourself short,” Lani accused and squeezed her hand again, “You’re stronger than anyone I know and you’ve got the ability to empathize with people. So what if you don’t have an education, lots of people don’t. You’ve got compassion and that’s something you can’t teach.” He smiled at her, he wished she would look at him, he didn’t understand where this was coming from. “Karalie, things will be hard, but we’ve survived this,” he gestured around the room, “We can survive anything.”

How could Karalie think those things? Didn’t she know that Lani leaned on her more than she leaned on him? Lani’s expression went blank as she turned her gaze up. He hummed softly as he thought. “Who would believe us?” Lani replied, his cynicism getting the best of him. He didn’t mind ripping off people because people were horrible, well most of them, there were exceptions. “And even if they did, they would come here to talk to the ringmaster and he would convince them that nothing was wrong.” He had a feeling that Karalie wasn’t going to let this go. “I honestly don’t know what we can do,” Lani said. Short of killing him, at least, Lani thought to himself, there was no way he was going to go down that road.

[Karalie Heise]

Her brows knit and she felt her head shake from side to side very slowly.  She was certain she didn't sell herself short, Lani was only being kind.  That or he was blinded by their friendship to see what she truly was; helpless and pitiful.  She'd never even tried to escape, she'd only accepted her fate, crying like a child.  She had been a child, though. She still was in many ways.. Her empathy was all she had and that had developed due to her circumstances.  It wasn't easy to watch pain and suffering and turn a blind eye to it.  She'd grown with strong Christian morals, and what little she remembered stuck with her.

A long, slow sigh escaped her lips.  Could they survive this? She supposed they really had survived some horrible treatment in the past.  This would be nothing.  It was the others that still concerned her.  Lani made strong points that were difficult to rebut.  No one would believe them, and if anyone did the ringmaster would put an end to it.  He was.. persuasive.  Though she knew Lani had a far better argument than she did, she couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to do something. Unfortunately nothing came to mind.  Nothing except.. no, it wasn't an option.  They'd never pull it off anyway and morally it was wrong.  Maybe more wrong than what the ringmaster himself was doing.

Karalie hung her head a moment and then looked back at Lani, pushing a smile onto her face.  It was a forced one, weak in nature, but it was a smile.  He saw through her, she knew he must.  He always did.  "Perhaps they'll be alright, then." She didn't believe it, but she also understood that there was little to be done.  They could try, and perhaps she would in time, but for now the best thing they could do was look out for themselves, which meant escaping as soon as possible.  She looked around the tent and wondered what she would need.  None of her meager belongings were in the tent, but she would need to go back and pack something.  Clothes and a photograph of her family.. She would need to pack light so they could escape quickly and easily.

"After the show this evening we should pack some of our things."  She looked at the cup of money she'd collected.  Did she dare take any? He might know.  He always knew when they were holding back.  "Then.. then I suppose once everything's dyed down we'll.."  She licked her lips, not knowing how this all would work.  What exactly was their plan? 

[Lani Hunter]

Lani’s face relaxed as he smiled, but he had a sad look in his eye. Didn’t Karalie know by now? Lani wasn’t one to give compliments out of kindness, he didn’t flatter because he wanted her to feel better, he gave her truth and hoped she saw it too. From the look on her face, he already knew she had dismissed it already. Maybe it would only take the end of this nightmare to get her to see all that she had to offer. At least she had something that kept her fundamentally human, without Karalie here to keep him level headed, Lani might very well be one of the people that the younger ones feared. Not that he was a loving and caring figure, at least in his own mind. In public he was aloof and distant and he knew it from the wide berth the children gave him. It didn’t take them long to figure out the act, since Lani’s hard exterior was quickly broken once they spoke to him. Usually when they found him with Karalie, when they came to her for help.

The telekinetic had no doubt in his mind that they could do this, he wasn’t sure Karalie was ready but he was and it was becoming a now or never situation in his eyes. Optimism followed from her smile and he lowered his gaze to where he held her hand. She was dying inside and somehow he knew this wasn’t over, even if they got away, even if they were a thousand miles away, this was never going to be over, not for Karalie. “They will, they’re strong.” He said thought he knew quite a few who were not. He hesitated to think of what the ringmaster might do out of anger when he found Karalie and Lani missing, along with a large sum of him money. He released her and leaned back in his chair looking up at the canvas ceiling. At least they’d lived on the road their whole life, that at least would be familiar.

Lani looked back up and nodded his head silently. He wondered what he would even take with him. Probably nothing more than fit into the little knapsack he had. Lani nodded again, his eyes staring into face and a soft humming coming from his throat as he thought and planned. It was going to have to be carefully orchestrated, every detail needed to be figured or they were likely to end up in worse condition than they were now. “We’ll wait until he’s drunken himself silly and then we’ll wait. When it’s quiet we’ll slip away,” Lani said his voice barely audible. A little lump of fear appeared in Lani’s throat and he felt unexpectedly sick. It had been one thing to think about leaving, but now that they were he was excited, nervous and terrified. He was cautiously optimistic.

Ruffling a hand thought his hair and kicked his feet up on the table and leaned back in his chair. “We can meet at the tracks, just off camp,” he said and finally looked at Karalie and tried to analyze her expression. She looked nervous and excited and he wondered if she was feeling a little sick too. As strange as it seemed, here they were talking about leaving and the more they looked out the more scary it became out there. Here they knew the devil and out in the world they didn’t. Lani didn’t remember much of his life before the circus, he remembered his father and his mother and he thought he remembered a sister but if he had she would have just been a baby. He wondered if he could find them again. Would they remember him? Were they even still alive? “We’ll follow the tracks into town and well get you your unsalted meat.” He tossed a smile at Karalie and looked down at his empty hands. Well he could certainly do with a second dinner.

[Karalie Heise]

His insistance that the others were strong left her with less hope than she would have liked.  She didn't think they were, but she nodded anyway.  If Lani was certain, than maybe she shouldn't be second guessing it.  Maybe he was right.. Maybe their leaving would bring the others hope.  Maybe someone would finally put an end to all of this.  She supposed it could happen.  She decided it was best to close the subject.  It would forever weigh on her mind, but perhaps someday she would have the opportunity to do something.  Besides, she couldn't let this rule her life.  She shouldn't give up on her chance of freedom and happiness because others might not have it.  It wasn't selfish if it was self preservation, and she knew she would try her best from the outside to put an end to this.  She was sure if she figured something out Lani would help, but for now she had nothing and the first step was to get out of there in one piece.

The details of their plan seemed vague.  Yes, once the man was drunk they would slip off, but what of his hands? They would be out looking for runners, they always were.  "But how will we get there without being caught?" She questioned earnestly, having given up on trying to eat the meager rations in front of her.  She suddenly felt too nervous to eat despite the gnawing pangs from below.  His mention of the food made her push a smile on her face.  She wanted to be more excited.  She was excited, but she was frightened for them, too.  This wasn't just mindless chatter, this was a real plan taking place this evening.  Nothing could go wrong.  Nothing.

"I'd like that.  I'll be plenty hungry by then." She reasoned attempting to push that anxious look from her face.  She knew it would upset him, and she needed Lani to stay determined and sure of himself.  He couldn't question his decisions like she did, or they'd both be in trouble.  He would be the level headed one through this operation, and she could take over later.  "You've messed up your hair again." She offered, leaning forward to brush it back into place.  She sighed then, looking down at his chest.  "We can't get caught." It was an obvious statement, but she needed it to sink in for both of them.  "There's too much at risk.."

[Lani Hunter]

The claim left the room more tense than not and Lani wasn’t sure he could completely make Karalie feel okay about this. She would always fret, he knew. He could only hope that their leaving wouldn’t bring worse things down on those left behind, he could only hope that their leaving would encourage similar behavior. The ringmaster was powerful and terrifying, but he was just a man. Unlike Karalie, Lani had little qualms leaving this all behind. He was going to feel bad about those left behind but he would be free and he would enjoy every second of that. Maybe Karalie was right, maybe eventually they could do something. Maybe once they were settled somewhere they could rescue people and give them something of a halfway house for them to rebuild their lives. But for them to do that he and Karalie had to first succeed with impossible odds.

Lani looked up at Karalie and smiled ruefully. She wasn’t going to like this. “It wouldn’t be so hard if they were… say… sleeping on the job?” he said raising a brow suggestively. No he wasn’t going to kill them but he’d gotten enough skill at his power where he could take one safe aim at a temple and then they’d be out for the night with nothing but a ferocious headache in the morning. Which was to say they would probably attribute that to drinking too much. It was going to have to be carefully executed and he would have to be careful to get all of them. He had already staked out his position where he could snipe the guards out one by one where they wouldn’t be found until morning. “I’ll take care of it and I’ll meet you in my tent when it’s time to go. All you have to do is be ready,” he said with a smile. The idea of being free in a few hours was going to make doing his show difficult.

Lani chuckled and smiled at his dear friend. Lani closed his eyes and gave a small sigh as he let her fix his hair. He opened his eyes and found her looking very troubled. “Karalie, we’re not going to get caught.” He took a deep breath, he needed something more from her. “Karalie, I want you to promise me something.” He gently reached out a hand and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Promise me,” he said again more firmly, he wanted her to promise it now before he told her because he was sure she would protest. He wasn’t being chivalrous or brave, he was being logical. If it came to a fight Lani’s power was the best weapon they had, Lani wasn’t a fighter but he also wasn’t stupid. He knew that if a fight did break out he had a better chance with his power of at least flinging people out of their way. It wasn’t that he thought she couldn’t fight, it was that in the end telekinesis was a much better fighting weapon than retrocognition.

[Karalie Heise]

It took a moment for the information he offered to sink in.  Why would the guards be sleeping? It hit her very suddenly and her eyes widened. How would he do that? She supposed he could knock them out easily if he cared to, but what if he seriously hurt them? She wasn't a fan of any of those brutish men.  They made her uncomfortable and she was often glad for Lani's presence whenever they came around, but she didn't want to risk them dying either.  She realized there really wasn't any other choice so she slowly nodded instead. She could argue with him if she cared to, but in the end it was a necessary evil if they intended to get away with their lives.  Still, it left so much room for failure.  What if someone came across the bodies before they'd gotten away? What if there were too many and they sounded an alarm?

She could sit and ask questions all day, get all her "what if's" on the table, but what good would any of it do when they had no other choice.  If he said he'd take care of it she just had to trust that he would.  He wouldn't let harm come to her.  He wouldn't do this unless he had to, unless he was absolutely sure he could get away with it.  She liked to believe that Lani had a good head on his shoulders, that if anyone could pull off such a feat it was him.

She nodded sucking her bottom lip in slightly.  "Alright." She agreed.  She would come to him when it was time, and from there.. from there they would be free she supposed.  His reassurance helped some and she pushed a smile on, nodding again.  They would get out of here.  They would be safe.  They wouldn't be caught.  

His words startled her and she frowned a little.  "What-" she started, but realized immediately that he intended to make her promise before he even told her what she was promising.  Slowly she shook her head.  "Promise what?" She asked, her voice bordering on firm, though she didn't have it in her to be firm with him.  Not really.  How could she promise to do something without knowing what it was?

[Lani Hunter]

Lani wasn’t really concerned about hurting them, after all the headache they would suffer in the morning was going to be leagues behind the pain they had caused Lani over the years. No, Lani wouldn’t kill them, that would be far too kind a punishment. He didn’t live up to the same moral standards that Karalie did and while he normally would never hurt someone, that quickly changed when he was hurt. They had given him far too many blows and until now Lani had taken it, but he still felt like he was letting them off easily, when his power could easily crush them where they stood. He gave her a soft yet grim look. He wasn’t proud of what he was doing, but he wasn’t going to apologize for it either. While anyone else’s opinion might not have mattered, even getting a begrudging acceptance from Karalie meant the world. He feared he would disappoint her, or worse scare her away from him. She was his best friend, if she rejected him, he didn’t have much left.

He nodded and smiled in return, hope was all they had right now. Lani knew very well how this could end. When hope was all there was, when it was gone what was left was either despair or desperation. Like a cornered fox, Lani tended toward desperation and that was not going to end well for anyone. If they failed here… No, they wouldn’t fail. Karalie kept his head level through all of these years, all these years when he thought he was finally going to fall over the edge. She had protected him all these years and now if it was the last thing he did he wanted to get her out of here. Granted, ideally he would like to be out of here with her and he would do his best for that to be the final outcome.

He clenched his jaw in frustration, of course she wouldn’t be startled into accepting a promise. He sighed in acceptance and looked down at his feet before looking up into her eyes, using his best puppy dog eyes to persuade her. “I don’t want you to get hurt, and I’m not asking you this out of emotion I’m saying this logically,” he premised his request, “My power is a lot stronger than the tricks I do on stage, but they don’t know that. So if anything happens Karalie, I want you to promise me that you’ll keep going, keeping running. I can… my power can easily fend them off, I just don’t want you caught in the crossfire,” he explained levelly, hoping Karalie was going to see the logical advantage here. His eyes pleaded with her to accept. Partially for the reason he described, but he also didn’t want her to see him like that.

[Karalie Heise]

The way his jaw set with the silence looming between them like a large elephant made the small hairs at the nape of her neck stand on end.  She didn't like the way he was acting, fear of his promise sending chills shooting down her spine.  What did he want her to promise? What was so important that she couldn't hear what it was first? Whatever it was it was surely something she wouldn't agree to without the promise first.

He premised the request with a disclaimer, one of logic he said.  She listened carefully, preparing herself mentally for what he might throw at her.  Whatever it was, it wouldn't be easy to swallow, that she was almost certain of.  

Her brows lowered over her eyes as she started shaking her head.  She was shaking it before he could even finish, gripping the table with white knuckles.  She wouldn't leave him behind, wouldn't risk getting separated.  What happened if she made it to the train without him? What would she do on her own? She would be doomed; they couldn't be apart, she couldn't survive unless he was there with her.  She didn't have the strength to be on her own!


"What if they hurt you!" She insisted in a sharp hiss, leaning forward.  "What if he drags you back and I get away? He'll torture you, they'll come after me and they'll get me and they'll.." She gulped, her hands finding their way into her hair.  "What if I get away and you don't? I'm good as dead out there, you know I am!" There was a sudden panic in her voice as it cracked.  Tears came to her eyes but failed to spill.  "I won't leave you.  I can't." She gulped, "I go where you go."

[Lani Hunter]

Lani prepared himself for a fight, he was hoping for not a full blown one but Karalie had to see the logic in this, just this one time, he hoped. Lani wasn’t expecting this to go down easily, he could only hope that he won this debate. Knowing she wasn’t going to be happy about this didn’t make telling her any easier, in fact it made it so much harder. Seeing Karalie upset was the last thing Lani wanted but they had to think all of it through, they had to plan down to the last seemingly insignificant detail. Prepare for all possible failures. Contrary to popular opinion, Lani was not spacey or spontaneous or foolhardy. He had thought this through. He thought all the things he did through, he just got away with a lot of it by playing the foolish part. It was safer to pretend to be daft and avoid even the most obvious flaws in this world.

Damn, Lani thought, she was shaking her head and he hadn’t even gotten through his explanation. Alright, well, maybe this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Lani didn’t back down, even when he saw her start to panic and he saw the first tell-tale sign she was struggling not to hit him. “They’re not…” Lani started but he was cut off as she continued with a vengeance. He didn’t pretend patience as he waited for her to finish. “You’re not…” He started but again was bowled over but this time by the sound of her voice. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t thought all the way through, he hadn’t thought about them going after Karalie, he had honestly hoped that if he had to go down he would take as many of them down with him, not considering those left to go after Karalie. What would she do if confronted with them? Damn he hated it when she was right. Well then, he’d just have to not die.

“Karalie,” Lani said gently, then when panic seemed to have taken her over he put his hands over the ones she was dragging through her hair. “Karalie,” he said more firmly. He was honestly shocked and frightened by her words. He gulped, never before had someone relied on him like this. He rose and pulled her to his chest wrapping his arms around her. “Shh,” he said, partially soothing and partially praying her distress didn’t cause someone to check and see what was going on. “That’s not going to happen, none of that is going to happen. Listen to me now,” he said slowly releasing her so he could take her shoulders and look at her face. “I’ll tell you why. Because you are strong, you’ll make it. And I’m not going to leave you. I would never do that, you know that.

“But hear me out now. If something happens, if it comes to a fight, I don’t want you to get hurt. I… I can’t always control it and I don’t want to hurt you.” He lowered himself back into a chair and took up Karalie’s hands in his. “So maybe you don’t keep running, but I need to know you’re safe. So hide, get away from where I might hurt you.” He pulled out all his weapons now and fixed Karalie with his best puppy dog stare, “Please, Karalie, for me.” He wasn’t going to bring up the fact that if one or both of them failed and was taken back it wasn’t going to be a normal life they were returning to. If their lives could be called normal. Lani didn’t want to say so to Karalie, she knew, she knew or she wouldn’t be panicking.

[Karalie Heise]

The gentleness in his voice calling her name stopped her mild hysteria temporarily, wild eyes finding the pleading calmness of his. Again she heard her name and took a deep, quivering breath. His hands came to hers and she felt the wetness leave her eyes and drip down her cheek. His strong arms wrapped around her small frame and she all but fell into him. She fit easily into his embrace, her head resting in the crook of his neck, her ear pressed to his chest. The rhythm of his heart hushed her, a shaky breath leaving her as the tears flowed more freely.

Lani insisted none that she feared would happen, but how was he so sure? How could he be so sure that everything would work out the way it was meant to? He pulled back and she looked up into his face, feeling so much like a child, as if she had no reason to fear, as though it were all irrational.

Strong? Her? Karalie choked back a scoff. She was anything but strong. She knew he would never intentionally leave her, that was never a question. "But-" she began to protest but he cut her off, begging she hear him out. With a sigh she shut her mouth, listening to what the boy had to say.

How powerful was he? Was he really so much stronger than he lead on? It would make sense. The ringmaster would abuse any power presented to him, especially if it seemed useful. He fell back into his seat, leaving her standing before him. She could agree to hide she supposed, but she didn't like it. Karalie wasn't convinced it would all go well and she could never leave him.

She silently contemplated everything before lowering herself into his lap, eyes intense on his with her brows lowered gently, studying him. For him she might do anything. "For you I will hide." she promised softly, reaching a hand to his hair to brush it back into place from when he'd tugged at it earlier. Her tears had mostly subsided, but her nose was still drippy and she sniffled before running a hand over her damp face.

"But nothing more. I won't leave you behind, even if it means killing the ringmaster."

[Lani Hunter]

Karalie needed to hold it together now, for obvious reasons, but also because she was starting to make Lani panic. He held her and willed away her fears. Yes, all of those things could happen, but they could either live in misery with fear keeping them prisoner, or they could face it and fight for a life worth living. He smoothed her hair and hummed softly in attempt to make her feel safe. As safe as one could be here. He didn’t mind his shirt getting damp with her tears, he didn’t mind fighting away her panic, he didn’t mind any of it. There were very few people who Lani really got along and Karalie was one of the few and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. The telekinetic closed his eyes and prayed to whatever god might be listening up there for them to make it out of here tonight.

Lani now considered Karalie’s power a blessing, he had an idea that if she could see the future she would be making herself go mad looking for what was going to happen to them tonight. It was all up in the air, nothing in the future was set until it happened. Lani kept his voice down, he never knew who might be eavesdropping, just because he didn’t sense anyone didn’t mean that they were safe. He hesitated but telling her now was better than never telling her. There was a lot of things that he held back, hell those things he did on stage, were mere tricks to what he had been able to do when he was sure no one was listening. What scared Lani was that detached feeling he got when he was letting his power out, he couldn’t feel anything but the power and the emotion fueling it. He didn’t want Karalie too close.

There was a reason he’d never told her he was more powerful, one of which was that he scared himself with it and he had never had a reason to use more than the small thread of power for his act. He didn’t want to know what the ringmaster would do, or make Lani do, if he knew how powerful Lani really was. The idea of his mind fading into the background as the ringmaster used him as the enforcer was not something Lani could live with. Lani smiled with visible relief when she promised to hide. “Thank you,” he said softly. He closed his eyes and relaxed feeling her hand in his hair soothed him somehow. Lani delayed opening his eyes and started wondering how much time he had before he had to leave here and pay the part of a trained monkey.

His eyes snapped open and he stared at Karalie in shock. He had misheard her, surely he had misheard her. Strangely enough the emotion racing up and down Lani’s spine wasn’t sickness or anger. It was cold acceptance. How easily he would accept ending someone’s life startled him and he swallowed. “Deal.” He said, part of him morbidly wishing that they could end his reign of terror. “Only a few more hours of this hell,” Lani said looking around and letting out a shaking breath. Turning back to Karalie, he was wearing a wide grin. “This time it’s not a dream.” He smiled at her and reached up a hand to gently brush away her tears. “This is cause for celebration.” He lifted an imaginary glass in a toast. “Karalie, in a few hours you and I will have the wind at our backs. We will have a new life and it will be filled with goodness.” It was silly he knew, but he really just wanted to see her smiling again. It was finally here, the end of this. He couldn’t believe it. There was a strange sense of sadness. The circus was familiar, horrible, but familiar. It was his home and he was leaving. Strange, he had run away to join the circus and now he was running for his life from the circus.

[Karalie Heise]

Lani studied her and she could tell he was shocked by the words she chose.  Kill the ringmaster.  Could she? She liked to believe she could, she would, if it meant their very lives were at stake.  God would forgive her, wouldn't he? She would have an easier time killing the man than apprehending him.  She was small, frail, hardly more than a wisp of a woman.  A knife in the back would stop him long enough, but perhaps inflict enough damage to end his very life. No.  She couldn't stab him in the back, that would leave his mouth available.  It would be his throat.  A knife along his throat.

Her head bowed, embarrassed and horrified with such thoughts.  That wasn't her.. She wasn't the type to plot murder, and when it came down to it she was almost certain she lacked the nerve to pull off such a stunt.

He promised they would be gone in a few hours and her eyes slipped shut.  She knew she shouldn't be so morose, for Lani had a valid argument, but the reality of their situation made it difficult to celebrate.  One must never count their chickens before they've hatched, a saying she'd heard though from where she couldn't quite remember.  Perhaps her mother?  Perhaps someone else's mother who'd visited their circus. It didn't matter, they weren't free yet, and until they were she couldn't bring herself to meet his joy with her own.  

His warm, rough hand slid across her cheek and she looked up at him, desperate to force a smile for him, but she failed, a shaky sigh leaving her instead.  Lani was so hopeful, so inspiring that she almost believed him.  She believed he would do everything he could to make it a reality, and she trusted he would prevail, but she simply couldn't be sure.  How could she? She only saw the past.  

Karalie leaned in, brushing her lips gently to his cheek, pecking it, before pulling back.  How she wanted to drape herself across him and curl up against his warm body, despite the heat, and simply lose herself in the safety his arms provided.  A refuge from the world they lived, but she wouldn't, not now, not when she needed to be the adult she was instead of the small child she felt she was being.  Instead she forced herself to pull away, a machine putting one leg down to the ground and then the other, feeling herself rise up when it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"We should get ready." She instructed meekly, her hands coming to her stomach, holding it as the knots tightened within, equal parts anxiety and hunger. After all, the show must go on.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani ducked his head, thinking Karalie dropping her eyes was in her shame that he didn’t immediately reject the idea. Maybe she had said it offhand and hadn’t meant it. Lani wasn’t as moral as some people, but even thoughts of killing gave him pause, but perhaps not as much as it should have. He lost himself in his thoughts for a moment. If he had to kill him, would he be able to do that? Or would he shy away when the time came? Lani bit his lip, that was a moral question he hoped he never had to answer. Lani forcibly pulled his mind off of that trail and set it on another. It wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that, there was something to be said to be able to focus on what was in front of him, like his act when he was struggling to keep his hunger from his mind.

Hopefully Karalie wouldn’t balk. Lani had no idea what he would do without her, if he ran they’d probably come after Karalie, it wasn’t a little known fact that they were close. They had to get away. Staying wasn’t an option. Lani had already decided that and he was dedicated to doing his best to make sure that they were safe. He’d make sure of it. But what if he did fail. What if he got both of them killed? He smiled at her encouragingly and kept all of his doubts tightly locked away. He didn’t have time for fear, he could only hope for the best. Lani smiled at her despite her attempt to smile in return. They could do this, he truly believed they could. But his belief didn’t take him away from logic and he knew all that could go wrong. He had planned it all out from the best case scenarios to the worst. He had a plan for all of them.

Looping his arms around her he couldn’t prevent the heat from rising to his face when she kissed his cheek. He opened his mouth to say something but it died in his throat. A normal life was just around the corner, well as normal as it could be for them. He looked up as she pulled back and he nodded. “Right,” he said looking at his feet for a moment to school his expression back to a controlled mask. With her dismissal, his mask fell over his face and Lani’s carefree attitude returned. “I’ll see you at the show my dear assistant,” he said tipping his imaginary hat before taking himself out of her tent. The light was dimming over the forest and Lani made his way without rushing to the back of the big tent.

Inside he dunked his head and sketchily washed his hands and head. After that he changed into a sharp suit and glanced at the equipment to make sure everything was ready for the act. He smiled, there was a part of him that loved this. Honestly, if it wasn’t near slavery he might actually enjoy working here. Combing his hair back and checking himself in the mirror and nearly laughed, he almost passed for a respectable gentleman. Almost. “Lani, quit admiring yourself, you peacock, we’ve got a show to do!” A voice interrupted him and Lani turned his impish grin on his behind the scenes partner, the one who kept everything running smoothly. Lani trotted to the sidelines and waited. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the mysterious, the marvelous Master Mystrifties!” Lani’s eyes sparkled and as he ran out on stage his arms spread wide as he bowed low to the crowd. The last show was the most excited, usually they had heard from their friends and were looking forward to Lani’s tricks.

Lani beamed and straightened. He comically ran his hand over his head and then looked around frantically. He made a huffing expression and looked off stage. It was then he first wowed the crowd. It was a really easy one too. He whistled and his power grabbed the top hat he had waiting off stage. It floated across the stage to his hand and he placed it on his head. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he called, “I will now pull a rabbit from my hat.” He declared as he always did, night after night. He took off his hat and with a trick the previous Master Mystrifties had taught him pretended to put his arm into the hat up to his shoulder. It worked well and he got laughs from the audience, especially when he came out empty handed. Lani peered into the hat as if confused and he cleared his throat. “A rabbit!” He made a show of wiggling his fingers in front of the opening in the hat and dug around again.

Still empty handed Lani turned to the audience and shrugged. The room was quiet and the crowd was just getting skeptical and this was when he made his move. He turned the hat upside down and hit the top. Instead of a rabbit all manner of strange things fell out. A collection of beads, a set of keys, a deck of card all fell out of the hat and still there was no rabbit but it got the audience engaged again. He looked into the hat again and shrugged once again. “Well, sorry about that Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s move on then…” He placed the top hat on his head and started toward the middle of the stage when he stopped and turned so that the audience could see the curious look on his face. He removed his hat and a large white rabbit was sitting on his head. He grinned and reached up to cradle it with one hand before taking a bow. The crowd was easy, they cheered, the rabbit wasn’t that big, it was just fluffy to make it seem bigger.

“Thank you,” he said, “Now, Ladies and Gentleman I would like to introduce my lovely assistant, Miss Allizoi!” He gestured offstage, holding his hand out and smiling at Karalie, looking marvelous as always. It seemed no matter how their hearts were breaking, their smiles still stayed on.

[Karalie Heise]

She pushed a smile onto her face for him, though it was somewhat forced and bordered on sad.  "I'll see you then, Mystrifties."  The name felt natural on her lips and she wondered if it was the last time she might ever speak it aloud. She bowed in a slight curtsy as he got up and retreated from her tent, leaving her there with nothing but her thoughts.

Dark, chocolate eyes scanned the tent, taking it all in.  The light was dwindling quickly and she would never see the inside of this place again.  In theory, of course.  It was a strange feeling; excitement and dread.  She knew nothing else; this was her home.  It moved from place to place, but the walls never changed, and neither did she.  Too thin fingers trailed over the glass orb she pretended to see the past in.  What should she pack? Would anyone actually miss her? Miss her for who she was, not what she was to this circus.  She suspected some might.  She sank into a chair and before she knew it, tears had spring to her eyes. She didn't want to think about what could happen if they were caught, but lord, what if they were..

She didn't have time to really sit and ponder it all.  She needed to get herself up and read.  Now.  She moved to the wardrobe that Lani had been hidden in, the one where he'd left the money that would buy them real food tonight, and pulled out the dress she always wore when working beside him.  It was a light mauve, the material thin and flowy, and complimented her body.  It puffed out in all the right places while remaining tight where it mattered.  She spent the rest of her time wiping her old make-up off and reapplying the new which was much more neutral and far less smokey, though her lips were vibrant and her cheeks were tinted with too much blush.  Her hair was curled and lay in waves down her back then swept up in a pin.  The clunky rings and bangles she wore earlier were now gone and replaced with a long set of fake pearls, doubled around her neck and still coming nearly down to her navel.  If you didn't know it was the same girl, you might not realize upon seeing her.  

Karalie arrived in the back of the main tent just before Lani was called onto stage.  She greeted some of the others who were setting the tricks up, her eyes roaming around for the ringmaster.  She knew she needed to avoid him at all costs tonight, in case she looked guilty or uneasy. The last thing she wanted was to give them away before they got a foot outside the tent, and the ringmaster could find out easily.  He need only open his mouth.

She'd seen every one of Lani's shows since they had begun.  She had been in every one of them, even when she was sick with a fever, she'd never missed a day.  It was bittersweet to think this would be the last time she watched him pull the little rabbit from his hat.  They had at least a dozen of the little critters in a cage they toted from show to show.  She waited patiently to hear her name being called.

Deep breaths. In.. out.. in.. out.. and there it was!  Lani gestured to her and she came from the sidelines, all smiles as she looked out at the sea of people in the audience, waiting to witness the magic she was about to partake in.  She reached for his hand and and spun to face the audience, her legs crossing at the knee as she bowed into a little curtsy.  There last show.  At least here.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani gave her an encouraging smile before leaving. He hoped she didn’t get cold feet, it was now or never and if Lani ran he didn’t want to go without Karalie. He didn’t know if he could. He put it into the back of his mind and got himself into the mentality of Mystrifties. The former Mystrifties had taught him everything that he’d known and it would have been expected for Lani to teach his successor as well, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. The new magician would be on their own. Lani hesitated at the thought, the next magician. With Lani and Karalie gone they would need new acts and well that was just as likely to get new children. Would it be right to leave knowing that someone would have to suffer to take his and Karalie’s places. He shook his head, no, no he was not going to worry about it. He was going to worry about himself and Karalie and to hell with everyone else.

Knowing that Karalie was here as well gave him strength, he didn’t know what he’d do without her. Ever since they’d started together they’d done the show together. Karalie was invaluable for most of the show, not only as a distraction to keep eyes away from Lani when there was some mechanical trick happening. Lani felt at peace again as he held Karalie’s hand and held it while she gave a bow to the audience. The audience applauded, excited about what was going to happen next. Lani smiled at Karalie and gave her a subtle wink. “Hold this will you?” He said and handed her the rabbit, the poor creature, how it must hate being shoved from one place to another.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he addressed the audience again waving his hands as he settled his top hat on his head again, “I’ve sure you’ve seen levitation before, so I’ll give you something better. My dear assistant is no stranger to flight.” He held his hand out to Karalie again and gave her the signal that he was about to lift her. His power gently and carefully surrounded Karalie and with a subtle push on her shoulder he let her know that he had her and whenever she was ready she could fall safely into his embrace. He made a big show of waving his hands, but the strain on his face wasn’t faked. It was a careful and calculated procedure. The power was strong and it took a lot to keep it controlled. It took a moment, but there were gasps and mutters as people started to realize that Karalie’s feet were no longer touching the ground.

Lani smiled and lifted her higher, “Now I know what you’ll all thinking, where are the strings?” Lani turned his back and offstage someone handed him a saber. It was an old and heavily ornamented thing, the edges so blunt it couldn’t have cut someone. It was shiny and impressive in and of itself. Lani approached Karalie and swung the blade above and below her. There were murmurs and cheers among the crowd now, but that wasn’t enough for Lani. He took Karalie’s hand again, “I’ve got an idea,” he whispered to her his eyes flashing. Okay there was a large part of him that loved the attention and the cheers. Once she was back on her feet he let her go and took the rabbit from her. “Go pick out a friend,” he said gesturing with his chin to the audience. Meanwhile he trotted offstage to hand the rabbit to its keeper.