Just A Lion Lyin' To Ya, Darling

[Stella Lockhart]

Another tiring night playing the sideshow tents. Stella wasn't particularly bitter about her position; she was better suited to this work, after all. The poor girl wasn't even inside the tent - instead, they had encamped her outside of the entrance in a small clapboard booth. It was painted a garish fuchsia with silver accents, the paint chipping sadly in places. A sign hung from one nail from the front, proclaiming Find Your Soulmate, Just One Dollar!.

Rubbish, you say?

Since she had begun working at the circus, Stella had arranged thirteen marriages and five steady relationships. Her job had started six months ago.

Though not particularly renowned for her talents, Stella Lockhart had a special knack for unlocking the hearts of others. She saw in technicolor; she could paint their names with her eyes, taste them on her tongue. It was with this unique ability that she established her 'psychic' abilities. True, she was no mind-reader, but she had a wonderful track record thus far.

Stella had accumulated fifty dollars that night, a reasonable haul for such a dump of a town. Thirty of that would go back to the Ringleader, leaving her with barely enough to scrape by until the next shower in four days. Stella closed her eerie pale blue eyes and rested her forehead against the wooden siding. This job was tiring. So many broken hearts, so little time. Stella was no miracle worker, but she liked her job -it made people happy.

The key to her work was simply this: a pair whose names tasted well together, complimented each other's colors nicely - well, they were meant to be. Perfection. The relationship could not, would not, fail. Sometimes it was hard to get a feel for someone's name, but more often than not she succeeded at establishing a baseline connection between a pair of people.

It was well worth a dollar spent.

Stella opened her eyes drearily, blinking a bit before righting her elaborate circlet. A ring of sparkling pink jewels (imitation diamonds, bought for two dollars at a thrift store) was placed delicately upon her head, tinkling quietly when she moved and occasionally catching the light and glittering quite nicely. All in all, it just added to the illusion of grandeur that she possessed.

With a tired hand, she straightened her floor length pink satin gown (second hand, purchased for fifteen dollars at the same thrift shop). The hemline was getting dusty from the dirty grass, and it was beginning to get infuriating. Stella leaned back in her booth with a tired gaze, crossing her arms and inspecting the Midway stretched out before the sideshow tent.

Nearly empty, as the shows were coming to a close. "Ah, a fine evening's work."

stella has lexical-gustatory synesthesia.
that should help clear up any misconceptions if i explained it wrong <3
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[Kane Wilson]

All in all, today had been a tiring day. Kane had only done one performance this evening, but just one could make you exhausted. He sat alone in his trailer, tonight's scene playing and rewinding in his head. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and pulled off the suit he was supposed to wear: Kane Wilson was no Evel Knievel, he didn't like the sporty suits or any of that attire. He set it on the table; he'd need it for tomorrow. He pulled on a plain gray shirt, one he had brought with him from years ago when he left home. It was rather old, and sported a few holes here or there, but who, exactly, was Kane trying to impress? Sifting through a large drawer under his bed, he found a pair of faded levi's, he had gained through his travels. He slipped them on, and sighed.

He was tired, excruciatingly tired, but sleep wouldn't come to him. On warm nights like this, the trailer was stuffy and hot. He could struggle all he wanted, but he wouldn't fall asleep. So, without many other options, he pulled on his shoes, and set out to explore the Circus grounds. He tucked his hands in his pockets, and strolled through the grounds. Most of the stands would be closing soon, but not just yet, so if gaming was in his interest; he surely could. He stepped by the main tent, that's where he sometimes preformed, but sometimes he was demoted to the side tent. Wherever he preformed, it didn't bother him.

A sign caught his attention near the Sideshow tent. "Find your soul mate, for only a dollar." The idea was completely rubbish, as Kane wasn't even sure if he believed in soul mates. But why not, he walked up to the stand and smiled. "Find my soul mate, eh?" He questioned, an amused smile on his face. He pulled his wallet out; shuffling through coupons to find cash. Hey, money's tight, so Kane would use whatever he could. He found a well tattered, well used one dollar bill and handed it to the thick lashed girl. He sat down on the stool that sat outside of the stand. "I'd like to find the name of mine, if it's not too much trouble.." He murmured to her, a glint of amusement in his eyes. He carefully scanned the girl over; she looked extremely fatigued. Her hair was long and blond and she was decked out with jewels and jewelery. Kane grinned, when he had nothing better to do, he enjoyed filling his mind with this sort of stuff: that's why he loved the Circus.

[Derek Dynamo]

Here He Comes. Pompous As Ever.

Alls well that ends well in a day of physically harming yourself. Derek had set himself on fire twice, swallowed three live gold fish and gave himself a brand new tattoo using only a bottle of ink and a safety pin. The life of a daredevil was tiresome but never boring. The young fellow had just come from his trailer, having cleaned up his new inks. It was a small one, a peace sign on his left hand right between his thumb and pointer finger. He'd have to touch it up a bit later, the crowd just wanted to see blood and didn't appreciate how long it took to do a decent job.

Scratching himself inappropriately and yawning a bit Derek decided to head over to some of his fellow sideshow lackeys. He had only recently joined the circus, actually very recently it had been less than two weeks so he wasn't familiar with everyone's faces just yet. Derek's cheery brown eyes fell upon a booth...how long had that been there? Upon further inspection he realized it was home to Dreamshow's own psychic. Wonder why I haven't been over this way yet. Derek thought but the inkling vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Stepping gingerly through the crispy, sun baked grass (he was barefoot after all) Derek ambled to the front of the booth so he could see the person inside and it was only then he realized there was a guy sitting on a stool there too. Derek recognized him as the motorcyclist, he hadn't personally seen this guy's show but he heard it was quite the spectacle. Never one for quiet entrances or polite greetings Derek bellowed a loud "Hello!" at the psychic and motorcyclist, ignoring that they had started their own conversation. "I'm Derek, wanna see my new inks?" he asked enthusiastically. Derek was exceedingly proud of his tattoo work even though most people saw his ability to defy death on a daily basis his one true talent.

[Stella Lockhart]

Stella's eyes were closed once more when she was approached by what she assumed to be a skeptical customer. His voice held a bitter note of sarcasm, but it was more teasing than most. She offered a pink-lipsticked smile in return, accepting his dollar with a flourish. Stella was no magician, but she pocketed the money quick enough to qualify for a magic act. "Yes, your soulmate," She intoned in a mysteriously charming voice that she spent hours perfecting in the mirror to get just right.

Non-believers were a common thing in her chosen "profession," but this young man seemed like the type who would stay open minded about things. His face looked familiar enough, but she couldn't quite place it. Stella snapped the bubblegum she was chewing and leaned back on her stool. "You from around here, honey?"

She was a psychic; she could liberation with petnames like that, it was her right. Stella yawned and hauled up the heavy crystal ball from below the counter and placed it carefully down. The silver base was clouded over with a thin sheen of decay, but other than that it was in fine condition. The thing sparkled from within, shiny bits of gemstones stuck in the middle of the blown glass. Stella had just placed her palms down to prepare to do her entire shtick when Derek bounded up, with all the manners of a puppy that hadn't yet been trained and the physique of a colt that hadn't quite found his legs yet.

Stella heaved a sigh.

"Hello," She said demurely, batting those famously long lashes. Maybe she could weasel another dollar out of him before the night was up if she played her cards just right. Stella offered Derek a small smile, then turned her attention back to Kane. She widened her thickly lined eyes, the pale blue-white irises imploring him to gaze back at her.

Really, she did the whole 'psychic' thing well, considering all she had to really do was hear someone's name.

"May I have your name, stranger?" Stella murmured, all her attention centered on Kane. Her energy was waning, and it would take most of what she had left to do another 'reading.' She placed her palms back on the glass, rotating the ball slowly beneath her fingers. The bits and pieces of rock and gems caught the light at different angles, creating sort of rainbow effect on the walls of the ramshackle booth.

All part of the act.

[Kane Wilson]

Kane hadn't been in the circus very long. A few weeks, at least. The motorcyclist could never give an exact number. 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks: They were all the same after awhile. He had only done a few performances, yet the audiences he had had had been awed each time. It wasn't exactly a talent Kane had. He was good at motorcycling, he was more than good and he knew that, but out loud, Kane was extremely modest. He didn't know why; it was vivid in his mind that he might be one of the best motorcyclists in the area, but he didn't like to boast about it too much.

The mysterious girl at the stand, who Kane slowly realized was Stella, the physic, spoke in a mysterious voice. Kane was enjoying this, he loved it all. Growing up, he had always loved the circus, but never imagined him being an actual part of it. The lady, Stella, asks Kane if he's from around her. He smiles, "No miss. I was born up in Ontario, Canada." Some have called Kane easily amused. Sure, he had quite a few simple pleasures. Circus games being one of them. He usually lost a buck or two a day with stuff like this, but oh well. Just then, another fellow walked up. Kane glanced up. Oh, he recognized the male, it was the kid who lights himself on fire and stuff. Neat.. The guy, Derek, Kane believed, bluntly asked if anyone was interested in seeing his tattoos. Depends, Kane thought to himself, where the hell are they?"Why not?" He asked, smiling. Despite the bitterness on the inside, Kane was a charming guy on the outside, and always used his manners.

For a moment, he turned his attention back to Stella. She asks him his name. I suppose she'd have to know. Kane smiles, "Kane, Kane Wilson." He couldn't help but wonder though, doesn't everyone know everyone's name around here? If not, you'd find out easily enough. "And you're Stella, I believe." He smiled as he watched her hands slowly trace the crystal ball thing she had. It was neat, he wondered if that was just a decoration or if she actually used it.. He couldn't imagine how, but, you never know. The motorcyclist watched the physic to her magic. He couldn't help but notice her dreary pale blue eyes. They were kind of frightening, compared to his dull hazel eyes. Fascinating..

Out of Character: I changed Ma'am to Miss, due to the sudden change in age. xP

[Derek Dynamo]

I Can See Your Face and I Can Hear Your Name

Ecstatic that someone had taken interest in his tattoos, Derek knelt down beside the stool Kane was perched upon. There were no other chairs in sight for this was really only a one person booth of entertainment. But then again, being the third party never stopped Derek before. He was about to launch into an explanation of his newest beauty when he realized that there was a psychic reading in the making. Derek quickly quieted down and turned his attention to the girl.

He watched as she spoke softly to Kane (so that was his name), weaving her words into a thread of a sentence. She had quite a lulling voice...and those eyes. Many people could not make much eye contact or when they did they quickly broke it, but not Derek, he liked looking right at another person when they spoke, it made him feel more connectivity with them. Looking into Stella's eyes made Derek feel something strange, something he'd never felt before...he couldn't quite put a name with the emotion but it was something entirely new for him. Her eyes were a pale blueish gray...they were almost milky like those of a blind person but beautiful at the same time.

Any other day, place or person, Derek would have interrupted instantly to point out the fact that he liked Stella's eyes very much and wouldn't it be nice if he could stare at them all day, but he felt it best to stay quiet and look at her for now. Don't ruin the moment with talking. Besides she was in the middle of telling Kane's fortune, or something like that Derek didn't really pay attention she wasn't quite sure what was going on.

[Stella Lockhart]

Stella found herself liking Kane's easy smile. A tired grin was produced on her own lips, but her heart wasn't in it. She was really too tired to do much else than this last reading. "Miss?" Stella barked a short laugh, the jewels hanging suspended from the circlet tinkling against each other with the motion. "Hun, don't bother yourself with chivalry," She murmured, waving a hand as if to cast off his pleasantries. "I'm practically jailbait, sweets. It's not worth it." This was added as a plaintive afterthought, her eyes already elsewhere; mostly on the other approaching male.

Tattoos? Hm. Sounded painful.

Stella wrinkled her nose slightly, but shrugged. Why not? Not wasting time, this new young man knelt down the stool that Kane was sitting on. She caught him looking at her eyes with a sense of wonderment, but this was not unusual - Stella often got questioning glances about her irises. It wasn't her fault she was born with barely a pigment to her name. The poor girl was downright albino.

"Ah, Kane..." Stella turned her attention back to him, closing her briefly and spinning the crystal ball faster. Spots of light swirled around the booth, splashing across their faces before disappearing just as quickly. "Kane..." She murmured again, testing his name on her tongue. A faint cloying taste crept into the back of her mouth, sweet and...

Marzipan? What the hell?

Oh well, she wasn't one to judge. If his name tasted like candy, so be it. Stella ran through her mental catalog of names, searching for a pliable match. Stacy... Starla... Macy... Hm. This was proving more difficult than she had anticipated. It was rare that Stella lied when it came readings, but Kane was proving nearly impossible to read. Most of the 'S' names sounded and tasted quite well with his own, but her senses were growing foggy with sleep.

"Hmm..." She whispered, rolling the ball quicker beneath her fingers. Stella rolled through the list of names that began with S again, finding that they were all too sweet to match his delicately flavored marzipan name. "Ah!" The ball stopped rolling, paused with a pale blue light focused over Kane's face causing by a glittering sapphire (or piece of clear blue plastic, it was impossible to tell) that had caught the dying light of the Midway.

"Macy. The name of your soulmate is Macy." Yes, that was right. Macy and Kane. Kane and Macy. His name tasted of marzipan, and Macy tasted of sweet chocolate. They complimented each other perfectly - after all, who didn't like chocolate-covered marzipan? Stella, for one, loved it; but she could never afford it.

Ah, such was the life of a traveling psychic.

Stella turned to Derek and raised her fine eyebrows. "Would you like the name of your soulmate, hun?"

[Kane Wilson]

So, it was undeniable that Kane was easily amused: he'd waste all his money on stuff like this all day if he could afford it. It filled his mind with information, he wouldn't ever need, but it was fun to learn. He found himself leaning very slight forward, a smirk plastered on his face as his eyes glimmered with enjoyment. Stella found amusement in him calling her 'miss', but to Kane: it was just how he was. He always acted like a gentleman, it's how he was raised. Kane was never a person to break habits easily. "I'm practically jail bait,"

"Jail bate, eh?" He questioned, laughing it off. It had never been a problem to him before. He smiled and looked down at his hands resting on his lap. Soul mates were never something Kane truly believed in. If he fell in love with some one, well, that's all. How could it be destiny? But, on an occasion where there was nothing else he could possibly do, he might as well explore: it was curious as to what his soul mates name would be, right? It was in the back of his mind, that this might actually be.. right. He wasn't sure. Kane brought his eyes up to watch Stella, as she slowly repeated his name to herself. Light glinted off of the decorations in her stand to give marvelous affects. His lips slowly recoiled back into a smile; he was after all enjoying himself.

Kane brought his gaze down to Derek, who was now kneeling beside the stool. None of the tattoos that he noticed seemed new, but Derek's arm was quite full of them. Kane was never really a fan of covering himself with permanent doodles, but he had to admit: Derek's look quite neat. He was just studying the tattoos with his eyes when Stella made a a quick "Ah!" sound. He grinned as he brought his pale hazel eyes back to meet her mysterious pale blue ones. Macy. That was his soul mate's name? Kane's grin grew larger, then faded to a smaller polite smile. "Macy.." He tested the name on his mouth. To him, it didn't sound right: Kane and Macy? Nah."Macy?" He then repeated. "Are you sure?" He laughed in a teasing tone.

Macy?!

Kane then stood up, freeing the seat for Derek, if he was interested in the name of his soul mate. Kane nodded to Stella, in thanks. "Thank you, Stella. I'll keep my eyes open for a certain Macy." He murmured. He looked over at Derek, "I'll see you around, Derek.", he wasn't really interested in the tattoos anymore, and besides; they were permanent, they'd always be there. A smile playing on the corners of his mouth as he shot a wink in Stella's direction. Why not? He turned and slipped his hands in his pocket as he walked vaguely in the direction of the trailers. He wasn't going to settle for the night, not yet, at least, but he was going to linger around outside for awhile longer. He sat on the steps outside of the trailer he resided in. He couldn't help but think, why Macy? What special thing connected them? Normally, something like this didn't bother the motorcyclist, but now, he just was unsure. A faint smile played on his mouth, and he sat, his head resting in his palms.