Roleplay

"What am I supposed to do about that thing? It won't stop haunting all of us, and we can't beat it. Remember when we used the crystal and burned it?" Desperation creeps in Catch's voice when she questions this, creasing her brows in hopeless bafflement. "Nothing seems to work!"

Just then something clicks in the starry dragon's head and she adopts a semi-surprised or disturbed look; Whirling her head in Verian's direction, staring at him for a good second-- His eyes.
His right eye was gauged out and now is back.


As if time was dialed back for him.

Furrowing her brows, Catcher muses aloud mainly to herself as she breathes in a strange tone: As if faced with a revolutionary revelation; Suddenly looking like a mad scientist that has made a discovery.

---"That thing came, literally turned back the clock for him, then left us.."

Looking back at Raven, the next sentence to fall from her maw rings like an ominous warning. Shock and realization morphing swiftly into pure horror at what has to be the most obvious-

"Holy sh-This is all a game for it. It's toying with us, has been toying with us all this time. It comes in, messes with us, leaves and then watches from somewhere the show."



And there is nothing we can do about it..




Watching the two dragons argue from his position on the bed, a sense of growing dread forms. He doesn't dare make a sound, simply fidgeting with his tail in discomfort and patiently waiting to be dismissed like a good boy. Lest they slap him.

The bruises on my tummy still haven't healed yet..I hope the crowd won't pay mind...

It was merely yesterday, at Riff circus when they were supposed to perform and things went relatively smoothly during rehearsal. Aonghus was busy getting ready like the others-- it was a big day! The day of the Great mother of plague was neigh upon arrival, as the great ringmaster said. Very special!

The time flew by in a blur, and he happens to still not have a good trick learned; (Juggling was old and boring, done to...to sleep of super old age. Balancing wasn't interesting either. And my balancing trick isn't cool enough....) Thus, he was left stumped.

But it's okay! I know it will be amazing! I hope..

Time came, the pearlcather calling out to the troupe as he announces the next act for tonight in a very cheery tone. Then my turn came--The young acrobat stepping onto the stage with some juggling balls of different colors, improvising with his newest trick anyway. After all, the ringmaster always said the gods favor the brave.

A slight misstep, yet the young performer still dared to be bolder. Balancing on the rope and tossed the balls like rehearsed, letting them hang in the air for a split second--enough to form a half halo above his blond head. Then leaped and caught each one while doing backflips, swiping them in one motion.

Catching the rest with his tail, all the while carefully maintaining his balance on the tight rope. As a closing act, the beastclans youth wraps his tail around the rope and lets himself 'fall'-- hanging upside-down and placing the balls on the ground.


Before quickly doing one last flip so he's upright again, throwing his hands in the air.


...Aonghus was not happy. I don't know what I did wrong this time.. He slapped me with his belt and poked me with his cane bit too harshly. Said I need to work harder, do better than this.

Wait. The day of the next program will be here soon!


I haven't practiced yet! Ringmaster will be so mad at me!

At this thought Verian pales, trying to suppress a shudder of fright at the next set of bruises to soon litter his body again. The Ringmaster can be very scary when angry. I-He should get back to the troupe! I'm-He's gonna be in so much trouble!

Snapping out of his thoughts, the serthis slowly climbs down from the bed-- eyes darting to the talking big dragons-- then quietly attempts to sneak to the door of the cabin. Furthermore, mom and dad...no. They..they really don't like me.

...Would Aonghus actually be happy if he learns bad pirates took me..?

"What am I supposed to do about that thing? It won't stop haunting all of us, and we can't beat it. Remember when we used the crystal and burned it? Nothing seems to work!"

"I know but... Surely there's something we can do!"

Then, catcher's face went pale. She must've realised something. She looked at verian, back, and frowned.

"... What's wrong?"

"...That thing came, literally turned back the clock for him, then left us.. Holy sh-This is all a game for it. It's toying with us, has been toying with us all this time. It comes in, messes with us, leaves and then watches from somewhere the show."

Raven looked over at Verian. And my god, catch was right. Verian indeed did have both eyes, looking perfectly fine. Raven was shocked. But is it really just playing with us? Just... why?

Raven was frustrated, Catch was frustrated, everyone was frustrated. Or well, perhaps Verian was rather scared than frustrated. Speaking of wich-- Looking back at the bed, the bed was empty. No kid on it whatsoever. Instead it was juuussstt trying to sneak past them, at wich Raven blocks his way with her tail. She'd look over at him.

"Just watch out for... others, okay? Oh and try not to fall off the ship."
She then lifted her tail up and allowed him to leave. After all, they were completely surrounded by water, so there was no way the serpent could escape the ship.

Turning back to catch, she continues. "Maybe we can figure out where it is watching us from?"

The young serpent slinks closer to the door, only to freeze as he gets startled when the black and white dragon's tail lands in front of him. Blocks his way, and exit. Raven's voice rumbles, the kid staying still-- feeling her eyes on him.

--"Just watch out for... others, okay? Oh and try not to fall off the ship."

Others..? Are they also very mean and scary like the sickle-foot?

Heart hammering in his chest, the blond boy swallows thickly and only dares to nod his head in reply with a small "M-mhm." before lifting a hand to the door knob. Except the nasty discovery of being unable to reach it immediately presents itself, the little Beastclans member creases his brows together.

I..I can't reach the door knob.

Still, the desperation to escape danger forces Verian to try harder, so the poor little guy keeps on trying. At first he stretches out his arm once again, then rears onto his tail as much as possible-- now having both arms outstretched; To his dismay, the doorknob is still much too far out of his reach. It quickly occurs to him that he's simply much too short-- his great growth spurt having been taken from him like his injuries and adult memories.


..And aaall of the flaws of childhood having being brought back:

Dwarfishly tiny height- even for a Serthis that got him plenty of mocking, freckles so densely packed and strewn over his body like rashes, no muscle at all, eyes much too big and close together, rounded face-- all of this accompanied by a hair that is neither quite straight nor wavy. Weak...and let's not forget the overall awkwardness.

What's worse than the constant belittling, teasing and mockery of his less than stellar appearance, however, has to be the fact no one takes him seriously. Passing him off as a baby or an idiot. ...Sometimes as both.

Dang his dumb height.

It looks like he'll be stuck here until the pirates help out.

Pausing his struggles, the boy frowns and takes a second to catch his breath before resuming. All the while feeling his cheeks redden in pure embarrassment. The dang doorknob being so close, yet still being out of reach. Either because of his height..or the ship is made for dragons. And dragons are very big and tall...

Taunting. It doesn't help the snickering that comes from a few meters behind him-- the Wildclaw having paused her conversation to watch the blond struggle. Meanwhile Catch was just barely holding back her laughter.

Never have I thought I would see a person this short. Oh my gods, he's so tiny, I can't.


....I wish I was a little taller..Dang it.

The poor kid. The little serthis struggled greatly at reaching the door knob. And Catcher, was laughing. or at least trying not to, but failing. It wasn't that funny to Raven. After all, they were in a serious talk.

The imperial sighed, turned around and opened the door for him, closing it again after the little sneak got trough.

"So. Any idea on how to get rid of Io- wait no- oh yeah, the demon. Any idea on how to get rid of the demon?"

Iona? How did I come up with such a name? Eh, must've been a crewmate I heard their names from... she thought.



Bottles often made clanking sounds as they hit one another. They swung back and forth on his belt. He sighed. peace and quiet at last. And right at that moment her heard a door open. He looked down to see what it could be, and to his suprise he saw a... child? A serthis child. what could it be doing here? but then still...
He looks kinda like Verian...

The assassin watched the young one run off outside, then returned her attention back to her friend. Trying to get a grip on herself and be serious, now that the midget is no longer a distraction.

Any ideas of how to beat the demon pestering them? Honestly? None.

Still, at the very least the teen has the decency to assume a somewhat-pensive appearance-- claws resuming their involuntary tapping on the floor. What have they not tried already that could be of use..? Burning it- nope, already done. A weakness but only slowed it a bit, same with those greyish crystals. Nothing much else turns up.

Looking stumped with that thoughtful frown of hers-- Catcher shrugs her shoulders weakly in response, at a loss as she looks up at the other. Finally speaking up in a stumped tone:

--"Honestly? Nope, nothing new comes up. I'm lowkey stumped on this one...uuuh, try using ol' fashioned exorcism?" That last one came out uncertain and much more of a question than a statement. As if attempting to guess the right answer to a particularly difficult test inquiry or riddle.



Quickly using the opportunity, the young Serthis slips outside- eyes widening in awe at the many stars in the sky of nightfall. Mouth forming an 'o' in a silent amazed breath, gazing up...Almost forgetting about the pirates and being kidnapped for a merciful second along with the rest of his troubles.

..Until he feels a pair of eyes on his form yet again. That become many more.
Snapping out of his enchanted daze by the spell of the twinkling stars above, the blond boy dashes ahead, carefully careening around the edges of the gaping hole in the main deck until he reaches a stack of crates of goods near the forecastle.

Without wasting seconds, Verian leaps and ducks behind the stacked crates in a pitiful attempt to hide away. Curling into a tight ball, back pressed flat against the boxes, he pulls his knees to his chest (if he had knees) and holds his breath. Heart racing in his ribcage and adrenaline in his veins, screeching to flee.

But where from here? The boat is nowhere near land, and he can't swim.. No one taught him to, so jumping would be a sure death and stupid.

...Isn't staying also spelling doom.?

...I don't wanna drown. I don't wanna die. I'm stuck here. How do I get out...? I need to- I have to...Eleven, I'm scared.



It took Echo a solid ten minutes of squirming to slip out of the ridgeback's hold, and then the big dragon was dragged off to the infirmary by a crewmate. Thank the gods..--However unrest and uncertainty were thick in the atmosphere amidst the crew, hushed whispers exchanged in anxiousness and confusion.

Rumors, assumptions, guesses; Each dragon trying to figure out what is bound to happen next, others muttering about wishing their old captains didn't step down.
With a concerned scowl, the tiny Nocturne follows after Rho all the time-- to the infirmary, and now outside upstairs. Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder over at the satyr who looks relatively okay...if not dazed..? Spaced out?

Hardly matters at the moment.


Slipping back onto the main deck, she looks around and spots Noxious..And barely catches glimpse of a sprinting fearful snake roughly around her own age. From her current vantage point, Echo tilts her head a bit but doesn't really make a move, simply choosing to observe the two.

The imperial sighed, was finding an exorcist really the only way? Where would they even find one in the first place??? Perhaps there was another way. One where they didn't have to sail to the first best coast.

She looked around the room, in a hopeless attempt on finding anything that would give her an idea. Her eye then fell on her own shadow, barely visable trough the warm light from all the candles and lanterns around the room.

She would have checked the shadow realm, if she wasn't exhausted. Not in a sleepy way, but over the past few weeks she's been using her powers a liiiittle bit much. What would it help anyways, it's not like there'd be anything in the shadow realm... and doubts on finding any secret area...

"So... What to we do in the meanwhile?"



There he slithered away again, scurrying for a place to hide. Poor soul, what could have happened to them? Noxious decided to investigate, out of curiosity. Tooooootally couldn't relate...- In any way...- at all... He frowned.

Transforming into green smoke was like becomming a ghost. You'd be able to pass trough walls, if they had a little gap. And just that was what he did; trough the deck, trough some walls and then up the deck again, just behind the little snake.

A little bit of the green smoke would surround the serthis, having him breathe it in. It didn't really smell nice... But it was neccesary for them to communicate quietly. After all, the snakeman looked like it wanted anything but be heard.

Noxious himself decided not to reveal himself just yet, after all, he didn't want to scare the kid. Now being able to communicate with the serthis silently, noxious spoke up.
"What are you scared of? Do not worry, I mean no harm.. I-"
He sighed. "You're safe here. You have not been kidnapped by pirates."

"It was just a dream... You will return to the circus soon."

(Heyyyyy so so so sorry please forgive me I needed to take a break from flight rising but I’m doing good now. I lost my grandpa, started highschool, and logged back on just now after everything that’s happened. So sorry I’ve been gone hopefully I can still read the roleplay and maybe join in again at some point if that’s okay with you guys.)

Also if you’d recap what happened in all the time I was gone and what you want me to do with the character if I can rejoin again so so sorry

Verian's heart still doesn't show signs of slowing..not much, anyway. For he might have started trying calm himself in order to better think about his predicament and its potential solutions-- until the nasty smoke appeared out of nowhere. This only served to make the already rather highly alert Serthis startle, heart skipping a beat as he involuntarily inhales the strange gas-- a pang of fear for an untimely death to poison.

It stung and burnt, filling his lungs-- a part of him frightens while another....Accepts this could be the end. An oddly calming sensation taking over as the young serthis comes to terms. Not knowing he'll be okay, instead believing this is some kind of poison. Soon it didn't matter who let that smoke, nor where he is.


It's...soothing. Liberating even.



..Then a voice spoke, somewhere in his mind-- that of someone else rather than his own thoughts. "What are you scared of? Do not worry, I mean no harm.. I-" It said and sighed, before carrying on with its words. "It was just a dream... You will return to the circus soon."


Is he. . .delirious? Hallucinating things? Or...Has he lost his mind, gone mad?

The child tiredly waves off the thoughts, figuring--reasoning-- it hardly matters anymore. Soon it will be irrelevant. Closing his eyes and resting his head on his arms, Verian chooses to focus on the new voice and its question, even if he's perhaps sickly in a way.

--"..I...Who are you..?" Barely recognized his own weak, quiet voice as he speaks aloud in answer to the voice in his head. Somehow the idea of returning to the circus brings a wave of dread and pain with joy and relief. A small part of the kid whispering about the years of neglect and mistreatment, whining about how being away from that wretched place is better. Hoping this dream doesn't end ever grimly.


Truths Verian does not wish to accept nor face, lacking the courage.

No, what am I thinking? The Ringmaster gave me a home, friends and food--I should be grateful. Not be spoiled, I..I should be...He's not mean, he just..wants better performance, productivity and discipline.

Yeah.

Unbeknownst to him, Noxious gets a vision-- a glimpse of the same boy, lost in a crowd of dragons at a grand market.


Lost, confused and scared; Looking around for someone, calling out a name that evades the dragon. Just then a caravan enters the vision, trudging down the path, passing by the child..then stops. A group of dragons conversing, then one of them-- the ringleader hops down and approaches the young crying snake.

With a kind, gentle (deceiving, fake) smile-- the Pearlcather extends a hand out to Verian. Saying words of (empty, false) sympathy and concern. Offers him a position amidst his wandering troupe. Promises the lost boy a warm home, a great future with fame and a good life full of joy. Full of good friends.

Faintly, while the memory plays out before the Skydancer's eyes-- something else resurfaces. It doesn't escape Noxious-- anger, anguish, sorrow, resentment, betrayal. The kid--Verian's true emotions. The ones he tried to hide and suppress during his childhood while desperately trying to deceive himself.

Justify, excuse all of the cruelty afflicted.

A very quiet voice, one of the boy's most inner thoughts echoes like a ghost--laced with that same angry and spiteful bitterness. Something he would deny if brought up, not daring to utter it aloud.

I don't want to go back there. I hope this dream never ends.



Meanwhile back in the cabin, the assassin is at a complete loss for what else to do. No other ideas coming to mind at all. So, in response-- she weakly shrugs her shoulders.

"Dunno, no idea. I'm guessing wait for the snake to get back to normal before we leave..?" 'Cause you wouldn't wanna leave without him anyway. goes unsaid. Honestly, then what? Back to the road? But, where should they all go anyways?

The smile. The kind words. In some way or another, it kind of felt... familliar?
Not a single detail escaped noxious. The anger... The fear. He just wanted a better life. But in search of help, he walked into the wrong direction. He was abused.

"... You know... You and I, are not that diffrent. They just needed another person. They used the fact you had no place to call home... Not anymore.

He saw it. The house. It wasn't verian's memory, no. The house was almost completely gone, burnt to ashes. He didn't remember what happened after that.
But he was alive. Well, barely.


"Anyways... My name is noxious. I doubt you will get back home anytime soon but... How 'bout I look after you while you're stilll here?"