TBD

“No, really! I insist,” she replied, flexing her calf gingerly. Dahye looked to the outstretched hand wearing the glove, and she smiled as she shook it. “Well thank you very much for your help, Evonna. It really means a lot.” After this, her attention returned to her leg as she leaned forward to touch her toes. Normally she could reach far past them, but this would have to do for now.

“Oh, me? A few weeks now. I’m relatively new, still. But I like it here! It already feels like home. In some ways, even more of a home than my actual house with my parents… It’s funny, right? I just feel like I belong here.” Dahye glanced around with a soft smile. “You’ve been around for a longer time, right..? Were you here before the disbandment?”

“That’s beautiful,” the young woman replied to the other’s feeling of belonging. “That is what it is for. We all want to feel right somewhere.” Evonna smiled at her own words. There was nothing silly about what Dahye had said, though. The circus was created so individuals with unique abilities could finally have a community of their own where acceptance was their ritual and guidance was the teaching. “I’m happy you can find a home here.” She was aware that most of the members had unfavorable lives before arriving to this safe haven, but the cruelty of people never ceased to upset her. “I don’t know your life before this, but I know you deserve a happy place.”

“Yes, I was here before,” Evonna replied with an exhale. She hadn’t been back for very long but was already in favor of forgetting her hiatus from security. The world was cold and unforgiving when someone was different; fortunately, Evonna had no physical significances so she never had to deal with gawking or mocking, but she had insight to the darkest thoughts people could have. Learning not to be so trusting was her biggest takeaway from her experience, and at least she could say lessons were learned.

Realizing she had trapped herself in thoughts and concerns, the young woman took in a deep breath and smiled to the other before looking to Dahye’s leg again.

What’s your favorite wild canine? (Like wolves, foxes, etc)

What’s your favorite big cat?

What’s your favorite herbivorous animal?

What’s your favorite aquatic animal?

If you had a “Patronus”, what do you think it would be? Try to avoid taking any personality tests that would determine it for you.

What was the closest you have ever been to a wild animal?

If someone gave you a pencil and paper and told you to draw the perfect animal, what would you draw?

Have you ever tamed anything wild?

Do you collect anything of your favorite animal? What do you have so far?

What’s the color scheme like in your room? Do the walls, curtains, bedsheets, and carpet match?

Currently, how many stuffed animals are in your room? Do you still sleep with a stuffed toy?

Is there a mess in your room at the moment? Any trash on the floor that should probably be taken out?

Look in your closet and report on the colors of your clothes. Do you need more of anything? If you have one, check your jewelry box and see what colors you have more of what what you have less of.

What is the most fragile thing you currently own?

What jewelry or accessories are you currently wearing?

Give us a status report on something you did today.

Have you noticed any habits of yours?

Would you help out a perfect stranger in need?

Can you sing? Even if you don’t think you can, sing the first song that comes to your mind.

Do you try to take care of yourself when you’re sick or do you rely on others?

How do you wear a scarf?

Who is the cutest person you know?

Are you forgetting about or slacking off on something you should be doing right now?

What was the last kind of candy or sweet you consumed?

What is the most expensive thing you have eaten?

What was the last thing you snacked on?

What is the weirdest thing you have eaten before?

What was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you? What was the nicest thing you have done for someone?

Take your favorite purse/backpack/bag and dump out its contents. What’s inside?

Have you read the newspaper lately? What were you reading about?

What is something that you think is unfair?

What would you consider your most defining feature (physically and personality-wise)?

This certainly was the type of thing that had to run its course, although she knew the leg would be sore and weak for a while afterwards. Dahye would have fun explaining that one to Emrys…

Upon the woman’s return, she carefully grabbed the crackers and began eating. Her initial attempts at fluid intake seemed to be helping, the leg slowly beginning to straighten back to its normal shape. The pain, although obviously not fully subsided, had lessened substantially with the straightening of the bone. She smiled gratefully at the other. “Thank you so much. Seriously. I-I’ll treat you to lunch or something! As soon as I can walk–” Dahye had it in her to laugh. She reached down, massaging the leg more, wincing now and again but feeling relieved as it started to ease. “So much better already… That’s what I get for being dehydrated.” She popped another cracker into her mouth and smirked a little nervously. “What a dramatic introduction huh? Sorry to scare you…”

“No treat needed,” she replied, waving her hand at the other. Evonna wanted to make clear that her assistance wasn’t in return for anything. Although the idea of getting food at any point in the future was exciting.

She exhaled in relief when the other began to ease up a bit. If none of that helped Dahye, she didn’t know what else to do.

Smiling at the other’s words, she reduced her kneel to sitting on the ground, legs crossed.

“You didn’t scare me so much as worry.” She studied Dahye’s features, taking in her entire physique. While Evonna didn’t know her actual age, she definitely looked younger and more innocent – almost like a puppy. The young woman chuckled to her own thought process.

“Oh- uhm, I’m Evonna,” stated the brunette as she held out her right hand to the other, glancing to be sure her gloves her on. “Maybe dramatic, but memorable for sure.” She smiled with her words, yawning shortly after and upon remembering her poor sleeping schedule.

rhys is a very interesting individual, per say. here he was, arms full of taco boats that looked and smelled better than anything he had ever consumed in his life, sour cream dotting the tip of his nose like a clown, and a pair of huge neon green glasses that seemed to have come out of a toy shop balanced on his head.

interesting wasn’t a close enough description. he looked like an idiot.

when zelos had returned from tokyo with a food truck and gifts, rhys, simply put it, lost his mind. he’d never really been able to “explore” the city per say, so with all of these unknown objects before him he just had to get his hands his own piece of the pie.

with all intentions, he is aiming to finish these taco boats and then probably go to bed, but upon reaching his tent he is very surprised to see a trail of footprints dug into the ground outside of the entrance. he pauses briefly, examining the size and shape, before he hears a noise inside his living space and moves again, slower this time. his attention isn’t even on his appearance at the time, but rather who the hell is in his bedroom. without even time to contemplate his actions, and also frustration yearning to be released at his taco-time being disrupted, rhys storms forward and pushes aside the door flap with his elbow, mouth open in preparation to yell at whoever is snooping, when he freezes at the person before him.

rhys very much so regrets his appearance.

the first thing that strikes him is the beauty of the woman before him, causing his eyes to grow wide and a thin layer of sweat to start forming on the back of his neck. his eyes jump over to the side, where another cot sits not too far away from his, and sees clothes and a bag nearly unpacked on top of it.

he puts two and two together, and nearly shits himself at the excitement.

“dia-dhuit! I, uh, I mean hello!” rhys stutters slightly, mentally cursing himself that he can’t even keep a clear head to use the correct language. thank god she speaks english, he thinks. the last time he roomed with a solely-korean speaker, the ‘conversation’ per say ended up with a black eye on rhys’s part and discourse between the two. ever since then, he has always been weary of what he should say and what he shouldn’t.

“my, uh, my name is rhys! i’m guessing you’re my new roommate?” he asks, chuckling nervously as he shuffles from foot to foot. the taco boats feel even heavier than normal, and the sudden pain in his muscles draws him out of his thoughts to actuality of his appearance. 

he definitely regrets his appearance.

Evonna watched the young man as he greeted her, soaking in his appearance. Were those oversized bright glasses the new trend nowadays? The brunette never knew what to expect when it came to street styles. Her distant and brief encounters with city folks usually led to her questioning ‘but why would you wear that? And more importantly why is it so popular?’

“I’m Evonna,” she responded, nodding to his question.

She walked over to the man who called himself Rhys and picked the glasses off his head to place them upon her own eyes.

“Is this popular now?” The young woman held the spectacles in place as she observed her surroundings with the new tint.

“I … don’t think these work,” she stated, concern threading her voice, as she promptly removed them and returned the pair to their rightful owner. That’s when she noticed the smell. Her attention lowered to the abundance Rhys was holding of … what exactly were those? They seemed to be edible bowls filled with a combination that smelled so appetizing her stomach growled.

“Do you mind?” She asked, already reaching and picking one out of the man’s arms. She’d given up learning proper etiquette after a year of leaving home. There were so many rules her headaches would last for days, and most of the time people were only pretending to be courteous for the sake of their own self-image.  The entire concept was exhausting, really.

The young woman bit into the mysterious carnival food and as soon as she began chewing her eyes rolled backwards and she groaned in satisfaction. Whatever these things were, they were substantially better than leopard and deer. Evonna then noticed the white substance upon Rhys’ nose and realized where it had come from. She didn’t hesitate to raise her free hand, wipe the man’s face with her index finger, and proceed to lick it off.

“Y-Yeah,” Dahye managed to reply. Her Korean wasn’t necessarily the best right now either, considering that most of her thoughts were English swear words. “My fault though.” As Evonna started rubbing at her calf, she felt the muscle initially contract again, but then loosened with a spasm, and Dahye gasped. “No, no, don’t move!” she quickly blurted out. “S-Sorry. Okay. Stretching. Breathing.” She started to straighten the leg just a little, wincing.

Of course the day would start out like this, she thought: everything going so well, and then suddenly she’s on the ground with some poor woman she’s never officially met. She started breathing deeply, trying to get oxygen to the muscles. Centimeter by centimeter, the leg began to straighten ever so slightly. It was ridiculously painful, but Dahye wasn’t sure of much else to do. “So, how are you today?” She attempted to ask as casually as she could with a crooked smile, hoping for a distraction. “Lee Dahye, nice to meet you. Apologies it was under such unfortunate circumstan-CES!” The leg curled up again, bending in a way that looked completely unnatural and like her bone was crooked. “C-Could you get me some more water and some crackers please?” she strained to squeak out, tears burning her eyes. 

Evonna pulled her hand away immediately upon the other’s exclamation. Her eyes widened and she visibly jumped in place, startled by the younger woman.

“Sorry,” she replied just under her breath.

Knowing the other was in such pain made Evonna feel useless. She figured this kind of bodily reaction was triggered by Dahye’s unique skill, and if so, then the honey-haired clairvoyant would not be able to offer much assistance. She could twist her own broken leg back into place if necessary, but this just seemed like something that needed to ‘run its course,’ so to speak.

She smiled to Dahye’s question, admiring her resilience and endurance.

“I’m fine, thank you, but you matter more.”

She listened to Dahye introduce herself and began to smile until her pitch increased and Evonna noticed her leg begin to contort in a position that was straight up creepy. Unaware of the total concept of social etiquette, she blatantly stared at the dispositioned limb before switching her attention back to Dahye’s face when she requested water and crackers. Evonna nodded quickly before pulling herself up, taking the empty water bottle with her. The young woman sprinted toward the kitchen tent, running at almost full speed. At least this would count toward her daily workout since she usually started with cardio before anything else.

Hoping she hadn’t been too long, Evonna came to a sudden halt once reaching Dahye with a full water bottle in one hand and a pack of crackers in the other. She knelt down and offered both to the younger woman.

“Here,” she said with a red face, huffing and puffing.

Dahye’s foot was visibly trembling from the muscle spasms in her calf by the time Evonna reached her. Tears were threatening to well into her eyes, and even though this was such a common occurrence, she still never felt used to it - albeit, this one was one of the more painful cases. When the woman offered her water, she immediately grabbed it and chugged as fast as she could. It was almost like she was panicking, trying to do anything to get the pain to stop. Only when she desperately needed air did she finally pull away, gasping and finally nodding at the question. “Not this bad normally. Milder, duller,” she panted. She tried so hard to put on a tough face, but then the muscles flexed tighter under her skin. It seemed to further take her breath away, and she tried to sit perfectly still, not even inhaling as she tried to decide what to do.

She knew this would very possibly freak this poor woman out. For that, she knew she’d have to make this as “okay” as possible, lest this kind person might grow panicky themselves and leave, or never talk to her again. Dahye closed her eyes, inhaled slowly, then exhaled. After finishing off the rest of the water, she gave an apologetic look to the woman. “It will pass soon,” she tried to reassure her, although she knew it was possibly a lie and these episodes could last all day. “I just need to try and stretch it, but–” She whimpered as she tried to straighten the leg. “I didn’t mean to cause you trouble, I’m sorry…”

Evonna’s eyes widened when she saw how quickly Dahye downed the beverage; she was almost impressed.

“Mmm,” she responded, nodding her head in understanding. After thinking on it for a good moment, the young woman finally realized what the other’s ability was.

“Oh! You’re the one who contorts, yes?” She asked, surprised with herself at how poor her Korean had gotten without practice. The clairvoyant silently cursed herself for providing everyone around her with a language barrier – not necessarily a bad thing when she’s avoiding social interactions, but terrible for future customers considering her entire performance was speaking.

She watched as the younger woman attempted to slow and steady her breaths, raising a brow in mild confusion. Is that what pain looked like? Evonna thought most people winced and clenched their teeth but Dahye looked different – almost like her suffering was just beneath the surface of her skin. She listened as the younger woman spoke, but it wasn’t until Dahye whimpered that she finally understood she must have been trying to hide her pain.  

@freakxevonna

Water was the last thing on Dahye’s mind that afternoon when she saw what a beautiful day it was. Sure, it was cold, but she’d never been stopped by cold before. Feeling the sun on her face was like putting a solar panel out: it charged her up, made her excited. For that reason, she decided she absolutely had to go for a run. Perhaps that was her first mistake, looking back on it. She had kissed Emrys goodbye, being a bit pouty that he couldn’t even come outside with her, and then rushed off. No water, no tea, barely even a breakfast.

Now, as she slowed to a dragging jog, she realized this was quite a poorly planned situation. Her left leg was getting tight. Tighter. Even tighter. She stopped, finally realizing that she wouldn’t be able to stand on it much longer. “No, no, come on!” She plopped onto the ground, quickly trying to massage it, but watched as it involuntarily flexed under her skin. The pain was hitting her now, with a wince taking over her expression. Of course, she was almost as far away from her tent as possible. The cramping was moving up into her knee now, and she tried to breathe despite biting her bottom lip to keep from whimpering. The leg was useless. She was about to consider crawling or rolling when she thought she saw someone.

Evonna adjusted her gloves, groaning in annoyance. One thing she certainly did not miss about being in the circus was the requirement of her to cover her hands during non-performance hours. While being able to touch somebody with no attachments was great, the gloves made her hands extremely sweaty – a feeling she could never get used to really. Despite this nuisance, she carried on like any other day and began her walk toward the outskirts of the campgrounds where she routinely completed her daily stretches, water bottle in hand.

Just moments after reaching “her spot,” the young woman heard a relatively close voice. She turned her head, searching for the who those words had come from, and to her surprise there was a fellow member on the ground just meters away. Her eyes widened as she realized the younger was struggling to just ask for help. Evonna quickly ran over to her, squatting next to the other and placing her water bottle next to her feet.

Evonna had already made herself acquainted with most of the new members. Her inability to get a period of sleep longer than 3 hours has also given her more free time than she cared to admit. But this face was only barely familiar as they both had only seen each other in passing.

“Are you okay?” She asked, concern dominating her tone. Evonna looked to the other’s leg where they had been massaging and quickly processed the situation.