Rose smiled contently, "If you liked Torch's fire. You'll love Blade's. Give a hand for Jessica Blade… the Flamer."
Blade exhaled some air and ran up to the center of the ring doing various cartwheels before landing next to Savage Rose. A bright spotlight marked her appearance, almost blinding the girl, but Jessica shook it off while doing a pose. She bowed her head lightly and stood tall once more, smiling at the audience and waving at those who called her name. Rose's eyes shifted from the audience to Blade and Blade's eyes moved to Rose's, they met eyes and nodded their approval. Rose did a curtsy and banged her staff against the floor, disappearing with a puff of scarlet fog. Blade looked back at the audience and prepared herself for the show. She cleared her throat and a drumroll came from the tent's shadows. With a last smile, she winked at the crowd before doing a backflip, her hands flickering on and off with fire.
When she landed, she heard the crowd cheer and applause, and was determined to continue. Another drumroll could be heard and as the finishing sound of clashing cymbals erupted from the hidden band, all the lights turned off. The crowd gasped in shock and leaned in forward to see better, sitting at the edge of their seats already. Jessica formed a small flame on her left hand and with that small bit of light she sped off and started circling the ring, where some long candles had been placed for her show. She ran near them in a counter-clockwise pattern with her hand in flames, turning them on one by one. From the bleachers, the crowd could see a flame flicker on and gasped at the fact. Then came another, then another, and then another… until the circus ring was lighted by them. With the speeding wind, the flames that sat upon the candles danced wildly from side to side in a beautiful motion. The audience stared in wonder as Blade did a curtsy and stood in the center of the partially lit ring.
The spectators began whistling, yelling various words at the flaming girl. So many people were talking at once, it sounded as if everyone was mumbling in agreement. Blade raised a brow and teased the crowd by crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. Once the people in the stands noticed her mock impatience, they settled down so she could continue with her blazing act. Jessica giggled and gave a wink, saluting everyone with her right hand. Suddenly her hand flamed up and she quickly started doodling in the air.
Believe it or not, Blade was a great artist! She first drew a rose, working the magic of light against her invisible canvas. She had to draw quickly, so the mark of light the flames left would be noticed and the squiggles would take form. After the rose dispersed into the air, she worked on making the head of a WolfWrath. The crowd squealed in delight at the spectacle, remembering the breath-taking performance by the WolfWrath Tamer. She then kept drawing and drawing and creating fiery masterpieces. Before drawing another figure, Blade had to wait for the previous one to go away with the wind, often having to entertain the crowd by juggling balls of fire until the drawing would fade.
Now juggling seven fireballs, Jessica formed an eighth and threw in the air so it accompany the others. The pyrokinetic shuffled the fire here and there, making it dance in the air and form shapes while juggling several balls of fire in one hand. The crowd went crazy at her skill and clapped as she juggled higher. Jessica's eyes, however, were fixed on her act. Should she discard anything that could be called a mistake, the tent would burn down, along with the circus' reputation. So she kept gazing at the hypnotizing fire while she managed it, and couldn't help but smile at the baffled looks the crowd of various creatures wore. Yet another drumroll sounded and she stopped juggling, letting the projectiles each land in her hand.
One fireball… and the cymbals clash.
Two fireballs… and a there was a guitar riff.
Three fireballs… and the grave sound of a drum filled the air.
Four… and the soft jingle of bells resounded.
Five… and the violins made a sound.
Six… and trumpets gave a whistle.
Seven… and the keys of a piano echoed through the tent.
Eight… and flutes collided to produce a sweet symphony.
Nine… and there was a silence.
Ten fireballs… and every instrument that had played before formed a beautiful melody altogether. When all the projectiles were in her grasp, she absorbed them and made them disappear like magic. The audience gave an 'Ooohh!' as their eyes adjusted to the dark once more after having turned off some of the lighting inside the tent. A fanfare filled the air and Jessica bowed with closed eyes, her ruby hair slipping off her shoulders. She cleared her throat and stood upright with her hands on her hips.
"Ladies and gents!" she yelled to the stands, waiting for the crowd's mutters to die down, "I'm in need of volunteers! I'm in need… of believers!" Everyone started yelling names and raising their hands in an almost savagely way. Blade's eyes widened and she managed to mouth the word 'whoa' under her breath. She chuckled nervously and walked to a nearby family consisting of a mother and triplets. They were humanoid also, but their skin was a light lilac shade. All of them had dark brown eyes that stared curiously at the performer as she neared them. Jessica stuck out her hand to the mother, who shook it shyly.
"Can I use your children as parts of the show, Miss?" She asked while signaling the three lookalikes, one a female and the other two, young, little males. The woman smiled and nodded, ushering the three kids to stand up. Blade chuckled under her breath and helped each jump the stands, taking them all under her shoulders and walking them to the center of the ring. Now with three young helpers, Blade needed an adult one. One who wasn't afraid of fire and had the guts to act in a circus ring. She surveyed the sea of people and saw a tall, human man of about twenty years of age wearing some dark-tinted glasses next to a very pretty woman of about the same age. She told the triplets to stay where they were and sped off to the other part of the ring. She jumped through the bars that separated the stage from the people and landed next to the pair of humans. They should be strong enough to handle what she had in mind…
"Hello!" she greeted.
"Hi," the woman answered with a smile.
"Hey," the man beside her replied, smiling also.
"Sis, you wouldn't mind if I use this fellow for my act, would you?" Jessica asked the female with a wink. The lady laughed and shook her head, looking at the one beside her. The man stood up and walked next to Blade, feeling awkward by his height compared to hers. Blade strolled closer to the woman and whispered something in her ear, making the other blush.
"No, we're just friends!" The lady answered with a nonchalant flick of her wrist.
"That's good, that's good!" With that, Blade bid her goodbye and jumped off the seat next to the lady. She veered to human into the ring, where he got introduced to the triplets.
"Now, with the help of Molly, Mike, and Mitchell," she said to the crowd, signaling each triplet, "I'll give Bruno a giant surprise." Bruno, the human, waved his greetings to the people watching the show.
Now, Molly looked like the eldest. Her skin was, as mentioned before, light lilac as well as her hair, which was tied up in a curl that reached half her back. For today she wore an orange blouse that went well with her yellow, sesame-shaped feet and her dark brown eyes almost glittered with excitement. Next to her stood Mike, colored exactly like his siblings. His messy tuft of purple hair covered his eyes and he occasionally had to blow them away, earning giggles from Blade. He had on a brown coat that served well under the air-conditioned tent. Beside him, Mitchell observed the many people sitting before him. Lilac-colored and brown-eyed also, the boy wore a black coat nearly identical to his brother's.
Bruno was tall, very tall if compared to Blade. He had on his dark glasses on, which were unnecessary since he was in a tent that was partially lit by flames, and his buzz-cut, black hair contrasted greatly on his pale skin. He had on a normal pair of jeans and a red shirt, along with some scarlet shoes that showed a large white puma. Blade found the thing curious but shrugged it off, seeing as all humans act different.
Blade whistled and called in some Waddle Dees, who rushed to Bruno's side. You could hear the audience laugh at the silly, little puffs running around the ring. In their stubby hands there was a slick, white coat long enough to cover Bruno's entire body. The human gave Blade a weird glance, but Jessica ignored it with a sly smile across her lips.
"You need to put this on, Bruno. It's for your own good," Blade reassured, as the human started to gulp nervously. Mitchel, Mike, and Molly stared curiously at the weird-looking human, scratching their heads and pondering about what would they do for the show. Blade was a pyrokinetic so she'd use fire.
...But on who?
"You people out there in the stands better get ready!" Blade suddenly popped out of nowhere, startling the three siblings. The Waddle Dees had disappeared into the shadows of the tents, and Bruno was walking behind Blade and standing in an 'X' that was painted on the floor. He seemed to be sweating, even under the cold chill of the air conditioner, and he fumbled with the top buttons of the coat. The brothers exchanged glances and shrugged, walking next to the performer to see if she needed them. The red-haired pyro looked behind her shoulder and smiled at them, gesturing them to stand closer. With the helpers within reach, she continued talking to the crowd.
"Bruno's gonna help me light up the show," Jessica grinned wolfishly and turned to Bruno, who had wide eyed eyes under those dark glasses. The crowd whistled in agreement and gave cheers. Blade came up to the human and whispered something, making him nod as an answer. She then turned to the trio of siblings and whispered the same thing. The children smiled and nodded also, ready for what was coming to them. With the snap of her fingers, fire consumed Blade's hand and the crowd screeched hysterically. The humanoid walked closer to Bruno and slowly took out her flaming hand for him to shake. Bruno gulped and stuck out his hand, soon feeling the fire's warmth envelop him.
In the background, the violins started playing a gorgeous melody as Bruno observed the fire lick his body. His turned his hand and watched the orange flames dance across his pale skin in rhythm with the music. The crowd gasped as well as the triplets onstage, but Blade remained focused and tried her best to not hurt Bruno in the process. In a matter of minutes, accompanied by the relaxing notes of the violins, Bruno was completely engulfed in fire. Everyone was awe-struck at the sight of the swaying flames topping Bruno. Then, the triplets came closer and did their part. Blade handed each a bit of fire that formed on her hand. Molly was the first to take hold of the ball of seemingly harmless fire, then Mike, and lastly Mitchel. Their eyes glittered while they played with the balls of fire and laughed. Blade ordered them to run around the ring's edge and show off the trick, to which the triplets happily obliged. She hauled Bruno off the 'X' and with his hand in hers they waved at the audience as Savage Rose emerged from the shadows along with Charge Knight.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Jessica Blade the Flamer!" the blond announced with her hands in the air. Charge Knight rushed to Jessica's sighed and helped her extinguish the fire from the unscathed Bruno, who later bid his farewell and took a picture with the performer before leaving with his female friend. The spectators yelled their praises and clapped as hard as their hands permitted, while a single spotlight shown on an exhausted pyromaniac.
…
"Athelas!" Stranger yelled as he caught up to his master. The hooded blond gave a look over her shoulder and smirked at the Wanderer, who was ducking and dodging all the Waddle Dees that dashed from the tent to Rose's trailer. How does she brainwash them into following her orders?
"You'll have to wait out the traffic jam," Athelas replied, fixing her fingerless gloves. She heard Stranger groan and saw from the corner of her eyes how he comically crossed his arms and exhaled angrily, eyeing the scarlet puffballs with anger. She chuckled and picked up her bow, slinging it over her shoulder. With just a few steps she stood across Stranger, only divided by the endless river of Waddle Dees running about. Stranger held out his hand for her to hold onto and pulled her out of the Waddle Dees. She nodded her thanks and let go if his hand to reach one of her arrows. Stranger raised a questioning eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips.
"What're you gonna do?" his silky voice asked, resounding against the thumping footsteps of the stampede.
"See what she's up to, that's all," Athelas answered with a hum, grabbing her bow. Her pink lips curled into a small smile, waiting to see Rose's face when she burst into her trailer. She started to step forwards, but was topped by Stranger's hand pulling her own. She looked down at their hands and then at Stranger, who merely looked at the Waddle Dees that were entering Rose's trailer.
"You'll have to wait out the traffic jam," he repeated. Athelas sighed, jerked her hand away, and followed his gaze towards the now-slowing-down group of Waddle Dees. After a few minutes, they stopped their walking and evacuated the ringleader's trailer. Athelas took this as her cue to enter and busted in with Stranger, only to be met with an angry Charge Knight, whose eyes under the X-shaped visor were narrowed in their direction. The puffball had his trademark gun aimed at the two intruders and his torn cape covered his body.
"Whoa, buddy," Athelas muttered under her breath with her arms in front of her face. Stranger pulled her closer and glared back, reaching for one of his daggers.
But when Charge saw it was just Athelas who busted in, he relaxed and regained his composure, sliding the pistol back in its cover and releasing his cape, which fell to the surface of the counter he was standing on.
He bowed as low as he could and said, "My apologies, mademoiselle. I am merely watching over my mistress."
Athelas looked up to see Stranger's hooded face and pulled her hand out of his grasp, something she'd done many times today. She pushed him away and walked past the bowing Charge Knight, nodding her answer before opening a door that would take her to Rose's dressing room. The sphere-shaped creature rose and followed Athelas with his gaze, sensing Stranger tense up. He waited for the human to cross the door to speak.
"Mon ami, you'd best leave her to defend herself, she doesn't like being the damsel in distress," Charge Knight whispered. His white orbs fell back on Stranger, who suppressed a sigh and plopped down on one of the fuzzy, velvet chairs nearby. He crossed his arms over his head, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips into a thin frown. There was a silence, in which Charge awaited an answer coming from the mysterious Wanderer. Getting anxious because of the creature's stare, Stranger decided to reply. He opened an eye, sucked his teeth, and inhaled some air, the faint smell of perfume entering his nose.
"…I know," and with those two words he decided not to speak again.
I'm soooo sorry for not updating! Curse you laziness! DX Anyway, review and tell me whatcha think. Many thanks to Jadedragonknight and Sweey for telling me to publish this suckah!