Welcome to Gaia! ::

Large wooden posts frame the entrance to the circus grounds, topped with black and gold flags sporting a crescent moon design on them. A long beaten path leads up to the entrance of a large tent. Upon entering the tent, one is greeted with more flashes of gold and black, as these colors decorate the interior of the performance tents. The tent itself isn’t as large as your average circus tent, though it is still a good size for its acts. Trapezes are hung overhead and various other set pieces are scattered about the ring. The electrics above house a multitude of moving spotlights and Fresnel lanterns which keep the show illuminated. There are three slightly elevated platforms in the ring, spots in which the Ringmaster and mistress stand during shows, announcing each act. The stands for the audience are simple stadium like seats, the rows being raised more and more the further back they go.

If one ventures behind the performance tent, they’ll be met with a miniature tent city. The tents are lined up in a grid pattern, and beyond that is a temporary stable for the animals used in the show. The tents house two troupe members each, aside from Mademoiselle Silencieux and Loynnette, who have their own personal tents.

Off to the side of the tents is the mess hall, where food is prepared and served for the troupe members. The troupe doesn’t tend to complain about the food being served there, but one would question if that is because of the quality, or because of the large one eyed man that acts as chef for Cirque du Noire.

A wood post fence walls in the circus grounds, with every few posts having a black and gold flag fluttering from it.

In the half-lit illumination of the moon, foreboding shadows stretching across the ground in a mass of dark entities, an uncommon silence hung over the city of tents in which the performers of the Cirque du Noire resided. Aside from the occassional hiss of snakes, no doubt the pets of a certain scaled beauty, the pad of footsteps on the ground, or the rustling of nearby trees, all was quiet. No doubt some of the men had gone drinking in the nearby pub while the more reserved members of the circus were either asleep or practicing for the upcoming show.

While Eli certainly didn't count as a 'reserved' person in any way shape or form, neither was the Juggler quite 'praciticing' for any act, despite what appearances may lead to believe. It was safe to say that no performance in the Cirque du Noir involved juggling a pair of high heel shoes, a black balled-up lace brassier and three bottles of beer. Smiling while going through the familiar routine of catching and throwing, the blonde couldn't help but notice the sound of hissing reptiles growing closer.

Distracted by this observation, the blonde's hand accidently slipped when catching the third- or was this the second?- bottle of beer, and this resulted in a badly aimed throw, which in turn messed up the whole cycle. Luckily, all the alcohol as well as the underwear and the stilletos were saved from crashing to the ground by a toss of all the items into the air, and the Juggler catching them one by one, either in hand or balancing them on various body parts. Letting out a small sigh and the close call, Eli resolved to concentrate more next time, and not allow such a novice's mistake to occur again. After all, even Jugglers had pride in their acts, no matter how mediocre they were compared to the other acts in the circus.

Placing all the items on a small table, the blonde decided to go out and investiage what was vexing the resident reptilian so much, which was evident by the annoyed tone of her companion's hisses. Walking out of the tent, the blonde smiled and simply hugged said fellow performer from behind in a childish manner, clinging to her.

"Hi Sin. Out looking for trouble?" Eli laughed.

Somewhere near the center of the sleeping tents area, a little Bani is found circling around one of the stakes that held its tent together. The Bani, standing on only two of its feet, quickly hops on top of the stake. The little white animal playfully imitates the role of an Acrobat by walking up along the rope, which is connected to the top of the tent. When it fell off the rope, it flaps its ears to get itself upright before straightening out its ears to glide around the tent. It landed safely on ground. If its owner, Ace, was watching, the magician would have placed levitating magic on the fella, but for now, he rather not have his friend being chased by people all around the place.

When you enter the two man room (tent), you'll be greeted with a medium sized coffee table with four chairs surrounding it for guests/visitors. If you were to look directly to your right, you'll see a potted wild plant. To the left of the plant is a tall wooden cabinet with a lock on it. In the far right corner of the tent is a comfortable bed, placed about a feet away from the walls and is facing the entrance. Next to the bed, which is a couple feet behind the coffee table, is a studying desk, also facing the entrance. Ace is behind the studying desk, flipping through pages of a large text book. There's nothing left to note around the tent, since the left half is unoccupied.

Even though he grew up in a wealthy family, Ace prefer something that is more low key. Wearing a sweater and a pair of sweat pants, he is working through a daily schedule he had set up for himself since the beginning of this month. Currently, he have to review some of his magic, else he'll forget or become rusty. Later, he'll catch up on some manga reading and then take care of his plant. He'll head out for a jog around the circumference of CdN after that. This may take about a good few hours, which isn't too bad. Once he finishes the job, he'd get himself some change of clothes for shower, make a trip to the mess hall for a hearty mean, and then head back to his tent for the day. It's rather nice to be able to do whatever one want without the constant nag from butlers.

"Mah~! Me? Looking for trouble? Never~ I'm a good girl, honessstly!" Eli nearly burst into a spontaneous fit of laughter at the absurdity of the blatant lie. With her unnatural-looking hair, dramatic makeup-enhanced features, and especially her deliciously revealing clothing, which provided tasteful and appealing teasers of the beauty that lay beneath, the beautiful snake tamer was probably the type of girl that most mothers would never even consider allowing their sons to date, let alone a 'good girl'. From the crown of her snowy head to the tips of her delicate toes, she exuded sex appeal, trouble and danger. The woman's  hell-raising attitude certainly did nothing to revoke that image, but that was all part of the snake girl's charm. 

As Sin continued on to complain about the lack of action that night, Eli nodded agreeably, enjoying the company and presence of the woman while clinging to her and, as a result, bring dragged along towards the Mess Hall. However, all of a sudden, an order was barked from an unknown source, and the Juggler turned to search for the speaker, which turned out to be their one and only ringmaster (or mistress?) reprimanding Reivyn about letting her snakes loose, an issue which was amended quickly. Taking the time to study the dark-haired woman quickly, Eli couldn't help but notice the dark bags beneath he eyes, signaling a lack of sleep. Sighing, the blonde figured that it was another one of those days, and briefly worried for the leader of their circus. 

"Heading towardss the messs hall, too, Madamoissselle~?" Reivyn asked amiably, offering a smile and bat of eyelashes. 

Finally deciding to get involved in this small interaction, the Juggler performed a flourished bow before looking up with an expression of cheek and mischief. Voice dropping nearly an octave from its former chipper high-alto to a more masculine mid-tenor, Eli spoke with the air of an aristocrat, though intentions could be questionable. "You're fully welcome to join us on our little escapade to the mess hall. A midnight snack or two might do you good, madame; not to say that you don't look as ravishing as usual." After all, if she probably did need it.

Upon reaching the top of the tent, Bani takes a wide scan of the area. The Ringmaster is spotted in the distance not too far from here. She's interacting with the Snake Charmer and the Juggler, but Bani's not too sure whether they're planning on heading to the mess hall or not. Speaking of mess hall, Bani's kinda hungry, and, it's relationships with them aren't really all that tight without Ace around. If Bani was to be alone with the Ringmaster, it'll try to not get in her way and will follow her commands if reasonable. When it comes to the Snake Charmer, those snakes are something Bani completely avoid no matter what. Lastly for the Juggler, Bani only thinks of her as an annoyance, but it seems that Ace pay no mind, thanks to his tolerance levels to her hyperactive nature.

Bani glides to the floor with its ears, and ran into the sleeping tent to bother its friend/master. Ace paid no mind to Bani until it climbed up the chair and settles itself on top of his head. Bani knows full well how to annoy him, since they were together since childhood. Ace let his own head lower down from Bani's weight, and lets it rest on top the book. A sigh came out of his mouth, since, every time Bani sits on his head, it means Bani is dead set in something, and it won't take "no" for an answer. Bani snuggles against Ace's head to cheer him up a bit before asking for a trip to the mess hall. Ace raises both hands up in defeat, without raising his head.

"Alright, what is it that you want?" Ace asked, head still on book/table. Bani hops off of his head and went around the book to face Ace, and then nudges his head to get him to look at Bani properly. Ace picked up his head, as expected, but his face shows that of an annoyed look. Bani answered his question anyway, by rubbing its stomach rather than speaking in its own rabbit tongue. Ace, of course, did a face palm, but he couldn't help but laugh quietly soon after. Bani ran up to Ace's shoulders before Ace pushes his chair back to leave the room. Bani puts on a huge smile and made a victory hand sign (without Ace knowing). Works every single time.

Ace picks up the book he was reading, pushes the chair toward the desk, and head toward the cabinet with the lock on it. He taps the lock with a tip of his finger, a small spark is seen along with a zapping sound. The lock shook a bit before clicking itself a couple times to unlock. Ace manually opens the cabinet door and places the book inside. After he locked the cabinet, he head toward the tent's entrance. "There seems to be a slight change in the schedule," Ace said with a relaxed tone, "I wonder what others are doing right now..."

The air grew cold and dead as a man in black clothes and a top hat walks around the Tents. His cape blowing him the wind. A large sycotic smile spread across his face. His cane tapping on the ground as he walked could be heard. His top hat tipped forward covering his red eye and heart shaped eye patch. A large scar going across the eye patch visible to anyone who cared to look. Kage heard some sounds and some talking but simply ignored it. The black rose in his other hand losses a petal that blows away with the wind. Kage watches as the rose pettle flys towards were the voices are coming from. He leaves it be and continues wandering around not knowing where he wants to go.