(whichever you prefer)
He tilted his head to the side "It does." He moved onto the next card, flipping it over to reveal one of the Cup Cards " Interesting, the Queen of Cups. Your thoughts and subconscious mind are deeply connected to your soul. When you make a decision, you make it wholeheartedly, giving all your thought and concentration, your time and devotion go into these thoughts and result in stronger actions." His eyes widened in speculation "THis is a good companion card to The Lover's actually, they work well together and in some aspects need each other to work effectively."
"Wow. I didn't know that! I guess that makes me pretty lucky, then." Elena stared at the card, adjusted the cloak around her so it would act more as a blanket.
"This makes me even more curious as to what is under that last card." She said. She looked back up at the ceiling of the tent, exhaling.
"I wonder what your cards would say." She whispered, barely audible.
He breathed a sigh through his nose "nothing as good as yours." he muttered. He had done countless reading of himself, always finding himself with the same three cards, The Magician, The Lovers, and The Moon. A sure sign of ambitious love, laced with the fear of unknowing and danger. But isn't that what he thrived on? danger, the unknowing? Shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned the final card over "A reversed High Priestess." He said with some surprised "She represents Intuition and sacred knowledge. The divine figure of a woman and her subconsciousness. Though when reversed, she shows shyness, withdrawal, and silence. You keep within yourself hidden desires and secrets you want no one to know about." His eyes stared her down as he read the cards "we all have secrets."
(Math is killing me ;o; )
Elena's hands dropped down to the floor of the tent, twisting and untwisting her fingers. Her brow creased in confusion, then understanding. There was some other emotion in her features that she kept hidden in her dark brown eyes.
"I-I'm not shy." She mumbled in defiance. Her eyes flickered to him, then back to the floor. Her cheeks bloomed a rich pink.
"Anyway," Elena said, quickly changing the topic.
"When will they arrive? I'm not that patient, you know." She glanced around her as if to emphasize the point given.
Vasilios chuckled lightly, knowing that the cards were correct both from her blush arising on her cheeks and the glance she had given him before averting her graze. "They should be here soon enough. Patience is key here." He drew all the cards together and placed them back into there glass casing "would like to explore more? Maybe we'll find a few of my friends around. Now is usually the time they like to come out of their tents."
(I totally forgot his appearance lol- I usually do this at school so I can't open pinterest XD
I believe it was blue though, I'll correct it if wrong later)
"Yes, please!" Elena sat up, fixing her blouse. She combed her fingers through her hair hastily in an attempt to look presentable.
"I haven't really seen anything other than the tent you perform with." She said. Elena stood up and brushed the pillow off, setting it back on the floor with the rest of them. Her eyes danced around the tent with mild interest, settling back on Vasilios's liquid silver eyes.
(THe picture has grey eyes but in my head, he has blue so you were fine)
He caught himself smiling, why the need for all the fuss, you look beautiful already. Shaking out of his thoughts, he stood and rolled his shoulders. Once ready, he offered her his arm and waved his hand, casting the tent in shadows and draping the two in darkness, the only light coming from the moonlight outside. "Such beauty," he said wistfully, not sure if he was talking about the moon or someone else.
(I fixed it up a bit! I checked the picture, and I think it looks like silver with a hint of blue :0 )
Elena draped her arm over Vasilios's, letting him lead the way. Where their bare skin touched, she felt a slight tingle. She shrugged it off, embarrassed.
Vasilios waved his other hand, and the warm lights dimmed, the remaining light a cool blue from the moon. Elena let out a faint sigh.
"It is quiet beautiful…" She breathed, though her eyes were fixated on Vasilios. He was, quiet enchanting. After a minute, she realized what she was doing and looked back at the moon, hoping he didn't see that.
He nodded and glanced down at where their skin met, smiling as he felt the same tingling. He walked off around the circus grounds, pointing out the specific tents and who resided within them "That one holds the wings performers and those who can do magic." He pointed to a golden tent, reflecting an underlying hue of orange and purples.
Elena's eyes widened in enthusiasm. She had seem them perform a few minutes ago- it felt like years. She never got to thank them for the wonderful performances. Maybe she could soon. Elena pointed at the tent closest to her, an alluring dark blue with a hint of iridescence. It was slightly larger than the tent Vasilios shown her.
"Who's in that one?" She asked politely. Was she asking too many questions? Was she being rude? Elena grinned sheepishly in apology.
He smiled down at her, fascinated by her curiosity "Ah my personal favorite, those are our animals. We use them for performances, but don't worry, none are forced to do things, nor are they mistreated. Anyone caught mistreating these creatures are immediately consequenced." He glanced up at the tent "want to go in and see them?"
"I'dloveto!" Elena said, her words melting together into a blob of incomprehensible speech. But as Elena had observed from a few different scenarios, Vasilios could hear perfectly. Even her random mumbles had been deciphered with little to no difficulty. At least, that was how it seemed.
Elena felt a her lips spread into a grin. Her respect for the Circus Prince could only grow. Of course the animals weren't mistreated. She knew so already, though hearing the words directly from his mouth somehow made it more valid.
"now I must warn you, we keep the animals out in the open within the confines of the tent. They're trained not to attack but if some start growing at you, I suggest you not go near them for the time. They me be moody or just don't want company."he opened the flap of the tent and guided her in. Two lionesses immediately came up to them, one black and the other white. "Good evening ladies," he bowed respectfully to the two, letting them smell him over and inspect him. Once satisfied, they turned to Elena, waiting for his reasured that she was safe.
"Elena, these two are Katira and Norally, Katira, Norally, this is Elena, a friend of mine." The two lions nodded and gently nudged Elenas hands with their noses in acceptance and friendliness
The lionesses seemed to turn scarier because of their closeness. She knew they wouldn't harm her though, so she held her ground. Vasilios introduced them to Elena, mentioning her name to the big cats. The way her name was said made her shudder involuntarily. It was like a foreign language on his tongue, soft and beautiful and completely otherwordly. She wanted to hear it again and again.
"Hello." Elena greeted the two lions, gently caressing their fur with the palm of her hand.
He smiled softly as the three interacted. A few more animals came up to them including a peacock and a wolf pup. Vasilios sat with the young wolf, letting is clamor over him and play fight. It's mother not far off, growling every so often when the pup got rough. "Don't worry Jeerah, Thatcher's fine," he reassured the female wolf as Thatcher crouched on all four legs and "hunted" Vasilios. He glanced at the wolf and grinned challengingly "Lets see what you've got." With a boyish grin, Vasilios walked in a circle within the space
(Super sorry about the delay, I had an appointment and got really tired when I came back from it)
Elena watched with interest as Vasilios began to circle the pup. She stood up and walked towards whom she thought was Jeerah, the wolf mother and sat down cautiously.
She turned to the area in front of her where Thatcher was circling Vasilios.
"Be careful?" She said, confused as to if this was normal or not. They seemed to be having fun.
Jeerah growled softly in a motherly tone.
(don't worry about it, your good)
Thatcher growled in complaint to his mother as if saying that he was fine and that he could take care of himself.
"Don't worry my dear, this is normal, all in good fun," Vasilios said with a half smile. Thatcher lunged at Vasilios from behind and tackled the magician to the ground, snarling and biting at his shoulder and arms
"My, my Thatcher, you've learned not to attack from the front," Vasilios struggled with the wolf for a bit, taking some hits on behalf of the pup and tussling with him. Spotting an opportunity, Vasilios flipped the pup onto his back and pinned him to the ground "Gotcha," he smiled and got off the pup, helping him get up. Thatch growled in mock feigned annoyance and trotted over to his mother, nuzzling her. He moved on to Elena and sniffed around her cautiously. Once he found out that she was safe, he sat in front of her and placed his head in her lap. Vasilios came over and wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief "He likes you," he explained to Elena. "he only does that when he likes a person, don't you Thatch?" he sat beside Jeerah, who put her head in his lap, sighing softly "Tired, mama? Yeah, your little ones a handful." he said with affection, glancing over at Elena with a grin
Jeerah bared her teeth in warning as Thatcher tackled Vasilios to the ground, while Elena winced. The magician and the wolf play-fighted for a bit, until Vasilios pinned the pup to the ground with a swift and sudden movement. Elena stopped mid-pat, watching intensely to make sure no one got hurt. Not that she could have done anything about it, Elena realized.
She looked back up, realizing that they were done. Thatcher circled her, sniffing. Elena almost backed away before noticing that he meant no harm. She let him sniff her over and grinned when she plopped his head down on her lap.
"Really?" She said happily. She brushed her hand along the length of Thatcher's back. The cool fur felt nice against her skin.
Thatcher Flipped over and started swating at her wrist with his paws, carefull not to claw her. "Playig the victem here aren't you thatcher, just to get the girl." Vasilios shook his and patted Jeerah's head "your son is a womanizer, you do realize that, don't you?"
Jeerah half grinned and nodded, letting out a little bark in agreement.
Thatcher growled and glared at the two, amusment in his shining eyes
"You want a rematch?" Vasilios challenege
Thatcher shook his head and lied back down comfortably in Elena's lap
"Punk," Vasilios muttered with a childish smile
She giggled at the conflict. Thatcher lolled his tongue out like a dog, his cuspids showing. It felt more protective than warning though, and she leaned closer. Suddenly, she remembered that she was sitting on the dusty ground of a carnival tent, playing with circus animals.
"Ah." She frowned. What was she doing here again? Still, she felt comfortable, with a canine laid happily across her lap, a warm cloak draped over her, and a friendly prince. It was like a second home. Although, her home wasn't really a home at the moment. Her parents were overseas on business, and the house was empty. She didn't have a reason to go home, other then a bed to sleep in and food to eat.
She pressed her lips together.
"Oh, right. We were going to see the others." Elena said to no one in particular. She had almost forgot. Turning to Vasilios, she cocked her head in thought.
He nodded and pulled jeerah's head out of his lap "I'll see you later, alright." he said to the two wolves and the lionesses who had joined them. Brushing invisible dirt off his lap, he offered a hand to Elena "curious one aren't you?" he mused with a grin "I havn't had a volunteer so interesting in my line of work, per say."
Keep your head straight, she's just another pretty girl who's using you for access to the circus, nothing more, nothing less.
She's also stolen you're heart and robed your mind,
Elena gratefully accepted it, pulling herself up from the dusty ground.
"I'm sure anyone would be just as excited as me if they were in my position." She said honestly. Personally, she believed she would be the most interested, but she didn't say that out loud. It was selfish and most likely wrong. She had seen the faces in the crowd as they watched him perform. The two exited the tent, leaving the animals to roam. For some reason, she didn't let go of his hand when they walked out. No, she kept a tight grip on it, hoping it wouldn't slip away without warning.
I'm sure they would be, I rarely offer this opportunity to many." He said glancing at her and squeezing her hand gently "The next tent we'll be going into are the weapons tent. He pointed out some red and black tents in a corner "sword swallowers and scene actors mostly live here. He led her to the tents, nodding his respects to those around him as they entered the largest one. The tent around them was covered in gold's and reds, imitating Japanese design and style
Her eyes widened by a fraction. Remembering the way some of the people here had tossed around swords in an almost playful manner, the danger gone when it was in their hands. The sword fights were intriguing, and it was hard to pull your eyes away from them for a second as they pranced easily back and force. Their choreography was perfect; A flawless dance with a whirling of blades and clanging metal.
Elena mimicked Vasilios's movements, nodding in what she inferred to be respect for the "sword dancers". The inside of the tent was splashed with bright red and a golden yellow. Racks of wooden swords were lined up neatly in a corner. A few metal swords- the ones that appeared to be for the official shows- were lined up seperately, all taking a home on a wall of the tent. In the middle was a large square of bamboo mat. It sort of looking like a boxing ring, but without the outside bars and much larger. In the corner, some people took the chore of sharpening blades.
Vasilios led Elena across the bamboo rink and towards a man who was sharpening a dagger. He had sharp features and bright green eyes. A neatly trimmed gotee surrounded his thin lips, which curled into a smile as he spotted the circus prince approaching. Putting his dagger on a side table that was littered with other weapons he stood and bowed respectfully "Good to see you Lios, here for a rematch?" He asked with a slight accent "and who might this be?" He glanced at Elena, amusement in his eyes
"Good to see you too Auros, sadly no, I'm not here for a rematch. This is a friend of mine, Elena."
Auros bowed to Elena "so you were the one who helped Lios in his performance today, and your the little butterfly that's been following him around the circus grounds all day."
Vasilios nodded in confirmation and turned to Elena "Auris is the weapons master at the circus, he's the best for miles and unbeaten." He said proudly
Auros blushed at the praise "thank you Lios, but I'm sure theirs better."
"I doubt that old friend. Mind if we have a little your?"
"Of course!"
