Aqua's breath was gone at this point, from the force of being pushed into the door. When she finally regained her breath enough to speak, she decided to tell him. To tell him everything. It didn't matter what she would say... If she sugar-coated it, he would still be angry anyway. She was tired. Tired of the nightmares, and being awake didn't stop them either. Aqua looked at Terra, straight in the eyes and spoke with as much confidence as she could muster. "I went to the Circus, Terra. I wanted to finally do something that I wanted to do. I went... And I saw the best show I've seen in my life. And you know what? I...I... I'm going to go back. I'm going back... Because I want to."
Terra raised his eyebrows, somewhat shocked at her sudden drive to stand up to him. "The….The Circus?" He stated flatly. "What are you, five?" He shook his head, dropping his hold on her. Terra picked his phone up off the ground and made his way back to the girl. "Well I hope you enjoyed your taste of freedom, sweetheart, because it's just run out. You won't be going anywhere if I have anything to do with it." He shoved her to the side, not giving her time to respond. Within seconds he stomped outside and slammed the door behind him. It rattled in its hinges and swung back open.
Larxene held the phone in her hands, unsure of what to do now. The thought of performing tonight made her ill. For the first time, she wanted to run and not look back.
Aqua stared at the door swinging on its hinges for a moment before rushing into her room. She couldn't bear to stay here any longer, and if she did she might not ever leave again. Taking a sizable messenger bag, she filled it haphazardly with clothes, and some small essentials before running out the door again. She slammed the door, and didn't bother locking it. The Circus was her destination. Aqua felt that something was off about the place ever since Larxene said that leaving there would be difficult... but she really didn't care. Something drew her to that place, and she couldn't tell what it was. Weaving swiftly through the crowds of people, she made her way closer to the Circus grounds.
Larxene turned the phone over in her hands, examining the tiny star charm connected to it. A small smile crept across her face, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. She looked up, staring blankly at the crowds of people. If Aqua did come back, what would she do then? Could she really stand up to the Ringmaster again? surely he wouldn't let Larxene take some stranger's place again ….right? The girl was silent for a few minutes, until something caught her eye. Blue. "Is that…?" She murmured, taking a step forward. There weren't many people with blue hair in this town, at least, from what Larxene has gathered. She made her way into the crowd with a strange sense of fluidity, silently gaining on the girl. Where was she going? The only thing down this way was the Circus grounds. Could she have heard the conversation, then? Severely hoping that this wouldn't scare her too badly, Larxene reached out, closing her hand around the girls upper arm as gently as she could. "Aqua?" Her name still felt foreign to her, having only said it once before.
Aqua jumped a little, startled by the sudden touch in the crowd. Gripping tightly to her bag, she turned and smiled slightly, relieved to see Larxene. She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her nerves. She stared at Larxene, keeping her smile on her face, though her eyes began to tear up, no matter how much she tried to stop them. "H-hello Larxene.."
The blonde pulled her hand away instantly, muttering an apology. "Is…Is everything okay?" She asked, hoping she'd be wrong about the severity of the situation. The tears in the girl's eyes hadn't been very convincing. A vaguely familiar voice called out from the crowd, causing Larxene to turn her head slightly. A brown-haired man had been making his way toward the both of them, speaking with a sense of urgency. Larxene narrowed her eyes a little, recognizing his voice. It was much softer now, rather than on the phone, which was now held to her chest. "Aqua there you are," He grinned. Something seemed off about that smile of his. Larxene took a step closer to the other girl. "You look like you've seen a ghost, sweetie. Are you okay?" He asked, giving a sideways glance to Larxene. "Ah, is this a new friend of yours? You've never told me about her before." Terra grinned again and shook his head slightly. Larxene's stomach turned. She wanted to get this girl as far away from him as possible.
Aqua stood there, frozen in place, staring blankly. Every part of her knew that going back with Terra would be the worst decision she could ever make.
The taller man took another step toward her, disregarding Larxene entirely. "Come on, Let's get you home, okay? I've been so worried about you." The blonde looked to Aqua for a few seconds. A familiar anger began to build in her chest. She didn't know the history between the two of them, but she wasn't stupid. If she were to do something, she needed to do it now. And quickly. She glanced around, being met with a few stares. They'd already attracted unwanted attention. Larxene stepped between them, placing a protective had behind her back, to Aqua. He smiled down at her and asked if she'd step aside, in a strangely serene tone. The blonde remained unmoved, giving him a blank stare. She slid the phone into her back pocket, certain that Terra saw it. "Look pal, I've got to get to work here soon, and I had some things to go over with my friend here in the meantime, so If you would kindly," She made a vague 'shooing' gesture with her free hand. He narrowed his eyes, placing his hand on her shoulder. "This really doesn't involve you, but thank you for your concern. She needs to come home with me now." He spoke slowly, with a smile and nod, as if he were talking to a child. "I….don't have time for this." Larxene sighed, moving her hand up to her shoulder, over Terra's. She wrapped her hand tightly around his middle finger, pulling it backward. Not too hard, but just enough to get her point across. He hissed in pain, choosing for a moment to try to wriggle out of her grip. She narrowed her eyes while slowly applying more pressure to his finger. Her knuckles brushed the back of his hand. He swore aloud. "You don't like people violating your personal space? Who would have thought." She let him go, giving him a sharp shove backward. She held her finger up in warning, daring him to come close to her again. Terra staggered a little, holding his injured hand to his chest. Larxene turned to Aqua, giving her an apologetic look. "Come on girl, let's go." Placing a gentle hand at her shoulderblades, Larxene led the way to the circus gates.
Still shaking from that encounter, Aqua followed Larxene back to the Circus. She knew that she would have to deal with Terra at a later date... because she did not want to overstay her welcome at the Circus. They did have to move to the next town eventually. Don't they? Shaking her head, she quickly got the thought out of her mind. She will worry about that at a later date. The grounds looked so different during the day. So empty... almost ghostly. It made sense though, since it opens in the evening, most of the performers must be sleeping through the day. Aqua turned to look at Larxene, truly grateful for standing up to Terra. Aqua was thankful she didn't have to explain anything to her. The silk performer somehow knew... and might have saved her life.
Larxene exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm her emotions. She held a finger to her lips, glancing at aqua, hoping she'd listen as they crossed through the gates of the grounds. The sight of Aqua's face made her heart sink. She was basically a stranger, but Larxene couldn't stand the thought of this girl being hurt. What She had stepped between was much more tame than whatever happened when she called, She was sure of that. Anger began to spark in her chest again. She flexed her free hand, her other still placed on Aqua's back. She led her around to the entrance to her stage area, choosing to get into her makeshift room from the hidden door. Larxene peeked her head through the doorway, making sure she didn't have any unwarranted visitors lying in wait for her, or the both of them. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, she escorted Aqua through, gesturing for her to sit on the bed. "Are you okay?"
Aqua followed Larxene's directions and kept as quiet as she could. She was trying to convince herself the command was just to make sure that no one was disturbed in their resting, but something inside her was screaming that she really wasn't supposed to be here. Pushing this thought aside, Aqua stepped inside the performer's room and sat on the bed a bit stiffly. There was no hiding things anymore. She knew Larxene understood what Terra was doing, so lying about things was impossible. Aqua took a deep breath and replied, her mouth going dry, "Y-yes.. I'm alright now. Just a bit shaken."
Larxene sat on the opposite edge of the bed, trying hard not to look directly into her eyes. "Does….Does this kind of thing, er… happen often?" She regretted that question the moment those words left her mouth. "I'm sorry, I…" The girl looked away for a moment to quell her nerves. Her eyes widened a little, remembering what she had set out to do earlier in the day. She shifted herself to the side, pulling Aqua's phone out of her back pocket. "Here, uh…" She slid the phone across the bed to the other girl, keeping her hand on it for a few seconds.
Aqua takes the phone and nods a thank you. She looks back at Larxene for a moment, before staring off at something else, deep in thought. This kind of thing did happen often... Just not like this. This time will be much different. Aqua shuddered at the thought of returning to Terra. "It... It does happen a lot. But... But I know he can change. He's really a nice guy, it's just... He has had a rough couple of weeks, that's all. I believe he'll calm down in a little while." Aqua trails off... not believing her speech much anymore.
Larxene's eyes widened in shock, hearing the other girl begin to speak. By the end of her sentence, her heart sank. "I…..what?" She asked, unable to hold her tongue. Rising to her feet, she made her way to the cabinet on the opposite wall. After a few seconds of rummaging in its contents, she produced a small mirror the side of her palm. The blonde sincerely hoped that the other girl wouldn't take offense to what she was about to say. Returning to the opposite side of the bed, she sat behind Aqua now, holding her arm out in front of the both of them. Larxene stared at Aqua through their reflections in the small mirror she held. "Does that look like something a nice guy would do…?" Larxene asked softly, trying hard to keep her voice even and steady. She knew full well it wasn't her place to speak about these things so openly, but she had to do something, or say something at the very least. Larxene's concern for her safety grew with every passing minute.
Aquas arm crossed to touch her other shoulder. She could barely look in the mirror. Yes, she did have a bruise on her cheek left from another one of Terra's explosions... But she didn't really think much of it. He just has a bad temper... She replies quietly, "That... That doesn't happen often... He's just having a bad time lately, I'm sure he'll come around eventually.." With each question, Aqua was becoming more and more unsure of her answers.
Larxene lowered her arm and scooted to the side of Aqua. She sat cross-legged and upright, letting the mirror rest on the pillow close to her. Her hands retreated to her lap, folded neatly. She exhaled slowly, knowing full well that coming to terms with something as heavy as this wouldn't be so easily done. "I know we don't exactly know each other here, but," She paused. They really were basically strangers, what'd stop Aqua from getting angry with her, since she's pressing the subject? Larxene wouldn't blame her if she did. Hell, she probably would, too. She shook the thought, choosing to finish her sentence instead. "Can you look me in the eyes and say what you just said?" She waited in silence, trying not to fidget with her nails out of anxiousness of the other girl's response.
Aqua looks down for a few moments, playing with the charm on her phone. She really didn't want to talk about this anymore let alone think about it. She wished she could just forget about everything, maybe even leave some things behind. But running from your fears was something she promised to herself that she would never do. After Larxene asked her question, she looks up at the performer, hesitantly looks into her eyes, and says, "I have faith... And sometimes that's enough to change things."