Welcome to the Family! (Performers)

[Eva Merrison]

Eva found herself loving the applauds. It had been close to a full year since she had found herself smiling. After her mother's death and the complete and total vanishing act her remaining family had pulled... well, things hadn't been looking so bright. The feeling of being accepted felt nice, and it left Eva feeling giddy.

The odd looking cat boy had rushed forward and taken her hand. He kissed it gently, and Eva couldn't help but blush at how silly it seemed. A cat was kissing her hand! Hah!

"I would like to Welcome you to our Circus! You'd be a perfect addition to our unique family."
When Eva heard those words, the smile fell from her face. Family. Was she really ready for another try at "family?" Her family had simply left her, and something horrible had happened. What's to say it wouldn't happen again? But still, Eva wondered, at least here they liked her.

She stared long and hard at Ches. This place didn't seem like it could be a home. But at least, it was somewhere to start? "Thank you... Mr. Cat?" Eva said politely, withdrawing her hand wringing them in front of her. Eva looked down, afraid to ask the next question, "What now?"

[CHESHiRE CAT]

When her smile faded, his faltered slightly. Did he say something wrong? His ears lowered a bit in response as he tried to figure out what was wrong. He replayed the words he spoke over and over again in his head to see if there was something that might have bothered her. He didn't find anything though. Nothing he hadn't said before. A mere welcome was all. So why was she sad?

He began to investigate further when she interrupted.

"Thank you... Mr. Cat?"

"Cheshire Cat. But you may call me whatever you like, Ms...?" He held it out, trying to get a name out of her. "And it's no problem at all! We are glad to have you!"

"What now?"

"For now. You may simply relax. Our next show is not till next week. If there is anything you require you may ask me and I will try my best to get it to you," he replied with a smile.

[Ardea]

Ardea had been sitting in the farthest back row of the stands since the beginning of this little recruitment. She really had no business being there besides her own curiosity. She wanted to know what the new recruits were going to be like. Ardea had been a member of the circus for quite some time by now and it was always entertaining to watch the new members introduce themselves and whatnot. Plus, it gave her a chance to figure out who she should be cautious around before ever actually meeting them. From her vantage point in the stands, somewhat hidden by the shadows, Ardea was able to watch the events before her without being seen. If someone were to notice her, it would be because they were trying to find someone hidden away.

Ches seemed to be enjoying himself, a fact that made Ardea cheery. She had always admired the young man ever since he had saved her from her life as an agent and thus she was always happy when he was. He started off strong and was even challenged to show off his talents. Now, Ardea, in her time at the circus previous to this day, had seen Ches’s skills firsthand numerous times, so she knew that this little transformation was a simple thing for him, but it did seem to take the crowd. The recruits were gaping at him mostly, though some were giving that all-too-familiar scrutinizing look of disbelief. Ardea just rolled her eyes at those people and instead focused on the new person who was stepping up to show his stuff.

The man was older than Ardea, she could tell just from the sight of him, with long violet hair. It was strange, but then again Ardea had to remember that she had fiery red hair and Ches had pink hair. Those weren’t all that normal, either. Ardea watched intently as the “brave” recruit conducted a little demonstration of his talents. It really was quite extraordinary and Ardea had to smile softly at it, nodding her head in approval and leaning back slightly, crossing her legs elegantly and setting her hands upon them. Very interesting.

This new man obviously impressed Ches and Ardea was fine with that. She understood the reaction since she herself approved of him already. When he sat down on the cloud, Ardea took the time to really analyze him. From what she could see of him, he was a thin, tall man who stood with a certain reserved air about him. His gaze was an intelligent one, something Ardea strongly admired. Because of Ardea’s upbringing, she had learned to really figure out a person by analyzing their actions and mannerisms. She used this every time she met or saw a new person and this was a prime example of her breaking down someone else.

Ches seemed to approve and he and the man – was it Zeek or was Ardea just hearing things? – spoke together in hushed tones. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but she didn’t care enough to listen in closer. If it were something important, she would figure it out eventually.

Once the long-haired man had stepped to the side, Ches challenged the rest of the group and soon after a girl stepped out of the crowd, taking the challenge. Ardea smiled, already liking the girl’s courageous attitude. It was admirable and entertaining to say the least. When she spoke and told the crowd that they would be experiencing something amazing, Ardea noted that it sounded almost exactly how a performer would speak to the crowd during a performance night, a fact that made her grin widen.

And then the girl sang.

It truly was a beautiful sound. Ardea closed her eyes as she listened, relaxing slightly as the music flowed around her. It was nice to sit there and listen. When the girl was done, Ardea softly clapped along with the crowd, again nodding in approval, her eyes on the girl and Ches, who came up and kissed the girl’s hand. Ardea rolled her eyes at his shows of affection, but continued to stay silent and poised in her seat at the top back of the stands. The girl was welcomed in – and rightly so – and Ardea smiled contently as Ches spoke in hushed tones with her, probably letting her know that he would take care of anything she needed.

At this point Ardea wondered if she should join in the merriment. In past times she had come to watch the recruitment and been pulled into the fun, showing off her talents with the flames to everyone. She was a skilled performer and did enjoy feeding her ego to the sounds of an applauding crowd, but Ardea decided to wait for now until she felt the time was right or she was called out by someone down below. So for now she continued to sit in her elegant sort of way, slightly adjusting her red plaid skirt every now and then, and watched the scene being played out before her.

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