Of Sword Swallowers and Acrobats

[Oswald Runners]

There was a heat to the ar in Europe like something out of a novel, the temperature was high but humidity low, the perfect kind of day for practicing in casual clothing. If it were closer to ashow it would be more likely for a person to find Oz in his leather outfit, studded and made specifically to dazzle those who watched his shows. His tennis-shoes replaced the normal boots he wore and padded gently the ground around the tents. He knew where he was going, yes, he had rounds to make and visits to partake in. Especially among the newest members - whether it be to intimidate or charm.

Oz appeared beside their newest additions tent and smirked. He had no care for whether she was decent or not - La Grande was a family and she'd need to get used to interruptions. Without thinking he thrust inside the tent with sword drawn and a cocky grin upon his bearded face. "On guard." He spoke sarcastically, watching the woman's face for a laugh.

 

[Caity Peura]

Caity was feeling far too hot to do anything. She lay on a bean bag in shorts and a spaghetti strapped top, her knitting lying forgotten next to her as she closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. The heat made her tired, but she was too hot to sleep, so Caity was feeling incredibly frustrated. Still, she couldn't complain. Caity was already a lot happier at La Grande than she ever was at home. The fact that Mariposa had found her was definitely fate; otherwise she'd still be busking on the side of the roads.
The young lady was awakened from her stupor at a call from the entrance of her tent. Caity sat up quickly, surprised. Her cheeks flushed when she saw who was standing there. "Oh!" She exclaimed, as she quickly looked around next to her to put proper T Shirt on. Though Caity often danced in a costume, she had always felt the need to dress proper around company. Whether it was ingrained in her from her parents, or personal choice, Caity didn't know. But she definitely felt more comfortable in a T Shirt, no matter what the heat, so she quickly put it on, before standing up.
The man that stood before her was so good-looking it was intimidating. Even more so that he was holding a sword. It was like meeting a god. Caity jokingly put her hands up in a surrender, but only bent at the elbow; she didn't want to make a fool of herself by putting her hands right in the air. "I-I was not prepared, at all, for that." Caity stumbled over her words, trying to joke. What was she even saying? So smooth Caity, so smooth.

 

[Oswald Runners]

Oswald's chapped lips curved into a smile, and he watched her stutter over her words. It was quite the sight, his eyes trained on her lips for the moment that a serenade words poured from. "My dear, my dear." He approached her before giving a small dance and side step to stand behind her. He placed the sword in her hand before gripping his own over hers and pointing the sword forward. "Every battle will not always be visible from far away." Though his words were poetic, he was sure it was a quote - but from what he didn't know. "So Caity, what has you in your tent by yourself?" He asked, moving to wave her hand in sword parrying movements. With his head so close to hers, he could smell the scent of her hair, and the scent of her skin. He wished he were more forward - such as Felix, after all, the dear was so beautiful he couldn't hardly help but think of her.

 

[Caity Peura]

Caity's heart had both stopped beating, and was beating in double time. How was that even possible. The man had placed the sword in her hands, and she had to use both; it was a lot heavier than she thought it would be. But Oswald's hand was over hers, and his face was close to her's, and she wasn't even paying attention to what she was doing with the sword. The blonde couldn't find any words to reply to his. He was much more smooth than she. Caity did smile, but her face was away from his, so she doubted he could see.
Her stomach was full of butterflies as he spoke in her ear, and Caity had to force herself to concentrate. "It is, very warm." Caity managed to speak. The heat mixed with her heart doing silly things, she wasn't sure what to say. Her brain was all jumbled. It was so not fair of Oswald to be doing this to her, but she actually didn't mind. "And, what are you, doing?" Caity cringed at her words. How embarrassing.

 

[Oswald Runners]

Oswald couldn't have been more oblivious to Caity's reactions if he tried. The man couldn't grasp her nervous breathing or the way she paused in the middle of a sentence where it sounded just off. All her could think about was the fact that he'd brushed his teeth and hoped it showed as he was fairly close to her. He chuckled at her question, watching her grip the sword with both hands. The man placed his other hands over hers, as if to draw her closer - without thought of the repercussions until she was in his arms fully. This was as close to cuddling as Oswald had been with Caity before. His cheeks heated, but where hidden behind her back.

"Me? Picking fights, saving maidens." He spoke cooley, moving around the front and taking the sword from her hands so as not to injure her. "Saving them from boredom before you ask from what. Would you like to go see the towns today?" He asked quickly, his voice cracking. He truly couldn't believe how nervous he was to ask her on a pseudo date. Perhaps it was too forward, she'd not been at La Grande long after all.

 

[Caity Peura]

Caity managed to breath a sigh of relief for the fact that Oswald didn't seem to care about her blunders. English wasn't her strong suit at the best of times, and to have her brain so overwhelmed and thinking for itself, instead of letting her think straight and translating everything into English. But the sigh was quickly caught in her throat again as Os put both his arms around her. It was incredible comfortable for Caity, and she wished she could stay like that forever - or at least have that sensation a lot more than now - which wasn't saying much seeing as this was the first time she'd been this close to him.
Caity gave a small laugh at his response, watching him as he stepped around in front of her. His question came so quickly that it took Caity a moment to register it. A day with Oswald? She would've said yes to a going and seeing how people cleaned poop if she got to spend it with him. A smile grew on her face, but she had to remind herself to calm down a bit. Perhaps he was just being nice and helping the new girl, and maybe he didn't see this as him asking her out, and as far as anyone could tell it wasn't a date, but she was still happy to spend it with him. "Yes. That would be nice." Caity replied, trying to slow her pace so she didn't shout it at him.

 

[Oswald Runners]

Oswald's already smiling lips split further to reveal his slightly crooked, pearly whites. The man was happy to hear her agree, and in an attempt to lead her out of the tent, he sheathed his sword and turned quickly to pull back the flap. However he heard his sword clink to the ground, as he'd missed the sheath completely. Turning with a small blush he leaned down to pick it up, only to knock his head against one of the tents supports. The man gripped his head and blindly searched for the sword, finally picking it up and putting it away.

"Let's start over." He mumbled before reaching for the flap and pulling it open for Caity, hoping she'd exit and not laugh right in his face. Why was it he messed up so badly around people he needed to impress - especially Caity. She was the most interesting and frankly the most beautiful part of the circus. At least to him she seemed to be - a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.