Private Tales Freak Show!

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

The past few weeks had been quite successful!
Not many traveling Circuses were of the best repute, and common folk were often wary of the traveling rogues and troubadours. But the Dancing Wisp Circus Was one of the few to maintain its reputation and goodwill through all the places it's traveled.

That was their fourth annual visit to Belgrath, and it seemed like every year they made more money than the last as people came to trust and enjoy the name of the Dancing Wisp. The troupe was in high spirits as they traveled, much like they always were. They had been on the road for about a week and were beginning the descent down the other side of The Spine. Their next destination being the grungy but proud city of Bhathairk!

During one of their stops for the afternoon meal they found a clearing and set up their wagons in a circle, they brought out the tables and chairs and soon the smell of food filled the cliffside. It wasn't long before their cheerful camp was approached by a rather bedraggled Sidereal elf, not a common sight but not totally unknown. Of course the circus immediately took him in, filling his belly with food and drink and then offering him a place to sleep. It was their custom to accept all travelers who stumbled into their way, no matter who they are or what their past may be.

Kiileet was especially proud to see his family handle the situation themselves without having himself get involved to smooth over some bad behavior. It was rather comical to watch their hulking strongman, an ogre named Greeshk, offer the comparatively tiney elf a bite of his cow leg. Some of the elves in their troupe took charge after that, though they weren't Sidereal elves they felt it was their duty to see that he was taken care of and made comfortable.
The next morning came soon enough after the elf and everyone else had been put to bed.
Kiileet felt it was time for itself and the boy to meet. Taking on the form of a Sidereal elf itself to perhaps put the lad more at ease, and also defining itself into a male character.

So prepared Kiileet left 'his' tent and took a deep breath of the morning air. Some of the troupe were already up and packing things to begin traveling as soon as possible, but in the meantime breakfast was cooking!

 

[Velle]

The elf kid spoke little, but was mostly aprehensive of all other races, including the elves, but a little less so. It seemed like hea at least tolerated being handled this or another way just fine, not throwing in a fuss in either's way.
Though most could easily say that he was the quiet type of kid that didn't move around a lot.

Now in the morning, the kid was mostly stubbornly holding to himself while sitting on some log, still half wiping his eyes and yawning a little here and there.

 

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

Kiileet wandered around a bit till he found the small boy. He was sitting on a log by himself and looking rather out tired and out of sorts. Kiileet smiled sadly to himself, the poor boy probably wasn't used to sleeping on a mat with a thick blanket thrown over it, or waking up this early in the morning. But assumptions got one nowhere and Kiileet wasn't one to dawdle.
He skipped over with a light spring to his step, as he approached he bowed, removing his hat with a flourish that resulted in dumping a large bunch of roses on the ground, which he promptly swept up as he straightened from his bow, stuffing the roses back into his top hat before replacing it on his head.

"Top o' th' morning to ya lad! And welcome to th' Dancing Wisp traveling circus! Before ye stands th' ringmaster an leader o' this motely crew! Liam Kindly is my andle."
He reached out, offering a friendly smile and a hand to shake.

 

[Velle]

The child rose his head to gaze at the pale man. He slightly tilted his head as he rested it against his palm. His ears were perked as he listned. Usualyl he tuned out the chitchast of others, but this time roiund he was directly spoken towards.

Something something morning something something -traveling-leader- something.
The elf wasn't exactly knowledgable about any other languages than his own, still he's learned a few basic words here and there, just enough to get some kind of grasp of what was going on.

The handshake seemed to cement in him the idea that it was some kind of lenghty introduction.
»Bellerophon,« he took the man's hand for a shake. Not seemed that reluctant in his grip.

 

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

"Bellerophon eh? Well, ye don't seem ta speak Common well enough. Will this work better for ye?"
Through that skin contact Kiileet was able to read some of the surface thoughts in Bellerophon's mind. His next words were in the Sidereal language.
"Welcome to the Dancing Wisp Circus, master Bellerophon. I am Liam Kindly, welcome aboard!"
Kiileet straightened and flipped his hat into the air.
He wasn't in the show business purely for the money and the living, he truly wanted to make people laugh and smile, especially kids. Their joy brought him joy.

He caught the hat and reached inside of it, his hand going all the way in till he was shoulder deep. He spoke as he wiggled his arm around inside, searching for something. "Where are you headed? You seemed a bit worse for it last night, do we need to drop you off anywhere? send a message to your parents? or do you prefer to go along with us to Bhathairk?" Finally he pulled out a fluffy white rabbit by its scruff, he acted very surprised and handed the docile soft furred rabbit to the boy before sticking his arm back into his hat, "I know I had it in here somewhere..."

 

[Velle]

Bellerophon seemed a little set back as the man began to speak in a tongue he fully understood.
all of a sudden really.

The kid seemed in moderate discomfort as Liam began his little strunt. It was the kind of discomfort of putting a shy introvert on the central stage. Bellerophon wasn't quite sure if he should stifle the uncomfortable smile or do some other grimace.
»My parents are fine. I'm not going anywhere specific, so I may as well go there,« he mused. The voice of the cambion was eerily convincing.
Bellerophon reluctantly took the rabbit and placed it on his lap, holding it with one and keeping the other on it's back, gently rubbing it's forehead.

 

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

Kiileet finally gave a triumphant "Aha!" as he drew out a long cane. He replaced his hat on his head and did a quick spin before he leaned on the cane. When he faced Bellerophon again it was the face of another Sidereal elf.
Still in the Sidereal language he spoke, "Well then, like I said this is a circus. So I think it may serve you to be prepared for a long trip full of fun and laughter, because everyone here has made it their job to make sure lads like yourself are given a reason to smile again!"

With that he twirled his cane in his fingers and turned around. The caravan was about ready to move out and Kiileet skipped over to one of the wagons, he jumped up on the step and turned back, offering his hand to the young elf in an invitation to join him.

 

[Velle]

The kid looked as if perturbed. Gong straight from some quiet town in the middle of nothing to a wandering circus of creeps and weirdos.

»Well, that's wonderful,« he spoke reluctantly, but it almost felt as if he was excited. Some unusual trick of his words perhaps.

He hoisted the bunny under his cloak and made it into a sling as he took on Kiileet's arm to get hoisted up on the wagon. It seemed as if many things got quickly in motion here as if it were no time for a quiet slow morning.

 

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

Kiileet took the seat beside Bellerophon, the spacious seat which they shared with the driver, a nimble fingered gnome dressed in bright colors. Everyone was dressed bright or gaily on closer observation. Even Kiileet's dark coat covered a bright red and white ringmasters uniform.
As the caravan lurched into motion some of the circus musicians began practicing their numbers.
The caravan consisted of ten covered wagons pulled by sturdy oxen.
several of the crew rode horses beside the wagons keeping watch and relaying messages between the wagons.
The ogre and some of the larger members of the crew were content to walk instead of burdening the wagons and oxen with their weight. And some of the acrobats could be seen practicing atop the roofs of the wagons.

The upbeat music was nearly a constant feature of the traveling circus. It scared away most wildlife and warned others of a large company traveling through the area. There were others beside the circus crew, other drifters and travelers going along with the caravan for their cheerful company and safety in numbers traveling through the wild lands of Arethil.

Kiileet propped his feet up on the footboard and produced an apple and a knife from his sleeve and belt, "It'll be a fair moment before breakfast gets passed back our way, would you like a slice?" He proceeded to cut and core the apple.
He absently changed back to his regular male form, pale skin and white hair with sharp but charismatic features. The Sidereal dark skin and elvish appearance traded out once more.

 

[Velle]

His eyes would skip from person to person, but it was hard to see just where exactly he was looking with how featureless they were.

With the man's face ever-changing, once he looked back yet another visage was set upon him. His mind took a little to process what change he just underwent.
Bellerophon shook his head a little as a no, not particularly feeling hungry just yet. »What magic do you do?«

 

[Kiileet Glassdancer]

Kiileet looked up at him as he popped a slice into his mouth, "Magic? I do a fair bit with illusions. I use them to entertain audiences of every shape and size and culture."
He set the knife down and took a bite out of another slice, then he grinned at Bellerophon, "But you want to know why my face changes, don't you?"

He stood up on the moving wagon and thrust out his arms with a flourish at his sides, "I am a doppelganger!"
With that declaration he spun, but when he had turned back around he had the head of a wolf, "I'm the creature that steals children from their beds and takes their places to kill their families one by one!"
With a skip and another spin he turned around and had the face of a jolly and happy clown, with bright red hair, white makeup, a comically giant red nose and a wide painted on smile that accentuated his true smile.
"Yet I have left behind my monstrous nature to follow my true calling!"

With that and a honk of his squeaky plastic nose he returned his face to his current default and sat back down beside the young elf, "Don't be put off though. Nearly everyone here is a misfit of some kind, have you ever seen or known an ogre be so gentle around folk like you or me? His act is as our strongman, but also as our residential 'Greeshk, The Tamed Ogre', though he's not tamed at all, we just have no other way of introducing him to the masses without them fearing for their lives."

As he sat their he seemed to diminish in size till he was about as a big as a thirteen year old boy, with a new youthful face to boot and clothes that seemed to match his size as well.

"Folks don't trust things they don't understand... Who can understand monsters that aren't evil? creatures of the night that just want to share the light of laughter? We make due with our lot in life, but we also make the best of it!"

 

[Velle]

The kid seemed disturbed, thought to little surprise, the expression seemed to burn itself onto the youth's face and was the default.
Doppelganger? His mother told him about many such monstrosities, and supposedly he was one such thing too. Thought this place seemed to give make a lot more sense now after the explanation.
What he couldn't quite understand is why people would go out of their way to see other people different from their own?


»Mother told me I'm 'special' too.« He sneered a little. »A - cambion.«