Trickster

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

Robin walked down the quiet lane towards Brightstone village ... on his hands. Well, he was bored and he liked attracting amazed/weirded out looks from the passersby. "Mama, Mama!" called one child, pointing over to the tall man who was upside down and still managing to walk down the cobblestone with a 'slap, slap, slap' of his palms. "Look! That man's upside down!". The woman ushered her child away and hid her smile into the collar of her robes. Yes, the man was just being a show off but he was damn good, and his shirt was creeping down where he hadn't tucked it in properly. Robin artfully dodged a patch of stinging nettle but almost fell at that, and so curled his body around and landed on his feet. It was too smooth a fall to laugh at, and some just stared instead.

Some ways down the road he started his trick again, although he was having a little bit more fun padding in and out between people as the throngs became a bit thicker. He forced himself to be a little more careful in case he did fall this time. There was no more stinging nettle, but who knew what he could put his hand into next? Poison oak, apparently. Rob 'shimmied' off to the side to avoid a small family and promptly stuck his hand into what was apparently a tuft of ivy. He soon found that it was otherwise, for the burning pain made him stagger slightly, and once again he was forced to curl around and stand. This time though, he stood only to fall directly on top of someone else. Robin fell face-first into the stranger's chest. It was rather comfortable, but when he looked up he found to his mortification that he knew the person. It was the pretty girl from the street show who wouldn't come nearer. "Oh! Hi!" said Robin, going, for what was probably the first time in his entire life, red.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Shyly determined to get out of the house more often, Christobelle had enjoyed a nice cup of tea at a small cafe in Brightstone - where she could quietly read and barely had to speak but to ask for a drink. It was relaxing. Perhaps not as relaxing as being in the safety of her own home, but Christobelle liked being outside and the fresh air did her good. Setting down her teacup, Christobelle slid her bookmark back in to her novel (an old muggle romance novel, for she had a weakness for those) and got to her feet, deciding to make her way home.

Christobelle had a habit of keeping her head down when she walked, so as not to make eye contact with anybody. While Wallace walked with his head held high, smiling at the strangers he met, Christobelle kept her expression distant, her eyes down, her mind usually lost in thought. Christobelle was creative and imaginitive, she just wasn't particuarly expressive in terms of body language, as well as speech.

So, she padded along the street, eyes down, until she was jolted by something, someone, rather, falling directly in to her chest. Christobelle turned bright red, feeling extremely embarassed - more so when she actually realised who the person was. It was none other than that cute performer, the knife juggler. If possible, Christobelle blushed further, her hair becoming an ever deeper red than her hair. "Um..." she began, looking away in sheer humiliation and terror. "H-hello..." she stammered. "...you're the knife juggler..." she stated, her voice barely audible.

Oh, if there was ever an award for worst public speaker in the world, Christobelle Montgomery would win, hands down.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

The girl was terribly pretty, but Robin wasn't embarrassed for long. It was just a woman, after all. They were fairly easy to deal with. His cheeks eventually cooled down and he managed to grin at her. "Oh, aye. You're the pretty one that hid like a mouse at the edges of the crowd." said Rob starkly, finally having the wit to climb off the poor girl. He wasted no time in taking her around the waist and sweeping her to her feet, though his arm lingered there for perhaps a fraction of a second too long. "And I never did catch your name, did I? So sorry for knocking you down like ten-pin."
All the while, Robin took his good hand and removed a long feather from his pocket. Perhaps it was a strange thing to do but it was oddly gallant, the way he began to brush her down with the feather so that little whiffs of dust curled off her. "Dreadful fall, that," he commented. It was probably only a 'dreadful fall' for him, for though he dusted Christa off every so nicely he kept one arm tucked behind his back where a rash was beginning. Damned bush must have been poison oak... Rob complained inwardly. Now he began to take her in properly. The woman had a lovely face but was apparently terrified. Robin swallowed. He couldn't deal with people like her; shy people. Whatever it was about them, it made him self-conscious and careful as a giant with a baby bird. Rob didn't offer his own name yet; he wanted to know whether she would give hers.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Was this guy for real? He had just called her pretty. Christobelle, who was more often compared to a mouse than anything else. Pretty? It had to be for show. He was a performer, after all. An excellent performer, but a performer nonetheless. As he grabbed her by the waist, Christobelle could barely help but make a small squeaky sound that sounded something like an 'eep!'. This was something she was definately not used to. Goodness, the man had her more lost for words than usual. It was times like these she would have given anything for her twin's courage, or her cousin's wit. Christobelle had neither. Oh, she could be witty at times, but never around other people.

The fact that he brought out a feather and dusted her off made her freeze up, quite confused and a little frightened. She'd never, ever had this sort of attention before, and it was almost uncomfortable. She wasn't completely averse to it, but Christobelle simply didn't know what to do in this situation. "Ah...it's okay," she mumbled, attempting to smile politely but barely managing to do so. "Um...m-my name's Christobelle," she added, offering a hand that trembled ever so slightly for the man to shake. She had been raised polite, after all. "I really liked your performance," she almost whispered, worried that he would laugh at her for saying something like that.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

Robin did laugh, but it was a kindly one and well meant. Gently he took her hand and shook it, feeling how delicate and smooth it was compared to his long, hard fingers. Bizarrely, and for a just a moment, Rob glanced down in surprise and turned their hands so that their palms were pressed against each other. "Wow!" he said, his voice lighting up like a child's. "Your hand is so small! You really are a mouse." The way he said it was full of amazement and not intended to offend, forgetting that normal people weren't as outspoken and theatrical as he was. Robin blushed once more and covered it with a grin. You have to be careful with shy people, otherwise they run away. That would suck.

"I'm glad you liked it. I rarely get to talk to people after a show, it's quite refreshing." Robin was being quite truthful in this aspect. He loved people and enjoyed a good chat as much as anyone. This girl, however, was making him tiptoe around her in case she broke. She looked so delicate. Stop blushing, dammit! Robin looked at the ground, trying not to smile. "You would come and see the show, yes?" he said. "I hoped you like the fliers." Even he had to admit the the butterflies were a work of art. They had better been since he had worked so hard on them. Robin looked around as though expecting to find one still attached to her person.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Christobelle looked away, biting her lip. She could tell that this man wasn't meaning to be malicious, but Christobelle was naturally a shy and awkward person. Conversation was one of the most difficult things to her. Even at twenty-four, she hadn't even mastered the art of it. Not that by looking at her you could tell that she was twenty-four. She barely even looked twenty, she was so small. She wasn't necessarily short, maybe a little shorter than average, but her slender frame and her mousy demeanor made her look much smaller than she actually was. And her hands were particuarly small. It was why she took up art instead of music, playing piano or violin or something. That, and art was much quieter, much more gentle, much more personal. She didn't really have to perform with art, like she would with music.

"O-oh yes!" Christobelle exclaimed. Well, as much as such a mousey woman could exclaim, anyway. "I would love to!" At this, Christobelle actually managed a more genuine smile. A circus performance was art in itself and art was something Christobelle was passionate about. And watching the man perform his juggling act before had convinced her to go to see it. "A-and I thought the fliers were really clever," she added, blushing once more, but a sweet, gentle smile illuminating her features this time.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

"Oh, thank goodness," grinned Robin. "Those were damn hard to make." It was amazing that Robin even knew how to do such things at all, having never even seen a wizarding school before in his life, let alone having attended one. Anything he knew about magic was collective experimenting amongst the circus people; if someone learned a new trick, they taught it to everyone. Rob himself like to mess around with various forms of advertising and merchandise. He had created the butterfliers himself, and also the little dancing ballerina jellies sold in packets after the show. Now that he has Christa's attention (and she was interested in his work), was he game enough to invite her back? Robin was only allowed to bring people in for a private show once-in-a-blue moon. Training was off-limits entirely.

Then why this girl?

"Well, I'm Robin. I thought you might like to have a look at the big top, perhaps see a small show and a bit of training?" So technically it wasn't permitted, but Robin liked to break a rules a bit. He spoke hesitantly though, not daring to think that she might accept. If she did not, he wasn't giving up; but he would be slightly shattered. "I could show you anything you wished to see," he said, eyes sparkling with promise of more magic to come. A flick of his wrist, and a tiny snow-covered daisy appeared in his hand. Touching her hand softly, he closed it over the flower. "Go on, it's free." laughed Robin.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Robin, so that was his name. Like the bird, Christobelle thought to herself, slightly amused. But was he really inviting her to have a look at the Big Top? Of course, that was extremely exciting for Christobelle. Frankly, she wanted to go see it badly. But she had figured she would wait until the actual show. Why, she was far too shy to actually go with this man. Plus she knew much better than to go off with a strange man she had just met. Sure, she was twenty-four and able to take care of herself, but her paralyzing shyness was a great hinderance and made her act much more like an eleven or twelve year old girl.

But, she loved the circus dearly, loved to see the performances. And Isolde and Wallace were both telling her to get out more, so somehow she found herself answering with a shy but definate "I-I'd really like that." Perhaps it wasn't the smartest move, but she was quite intrigued. Besides, she needed to get out more often and perhaps meet people. After all, as her parents told her at Christmas, "It's just not right for a twenty-four year old, even one...like you to coop herself up at home. Have you even ever entered a relationship, Christobelle? You're getting far too old for this sort of behaviour. You don't have any friends besides your own brother and that freaky cousin of yours. I don't care if your friends are all freaks, but you're not becoming a hermit!" Those words had stung deeply, but she knew they rang true.

She almost flinched from the contact, indeed, her hand gave a small jolt, but she did not pull away. She was intrigued by the thought of what he could show her.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

OhmyGodshesaidyes! Robin tilted his head to the side and beamed at her. It seemed that she wasn't as scared as she looked; Christa was certainly daring enough to travel to a circus to watch a private performance. It made him happy to think that he was making her happy by his invitation, and he resisted the urge to take her hand in a companionable way. "Well you're in luck! It's not too far, just a few streets down, however ..." Robin scratched his nose sheepishly. "Ah well, wouldn't ant to tire your lovely feet out, aye?". He was being a bit cheeky and grinned as he swept an arm around her waist once more. "Hold on a moment," he warned her, before there was a loud crack as he apparated outside of the tent.

Being so close to the great yellow and red striped tent was slightly awe-inspiring. The circus was simply massive, and little permanent butterfliers fluttered around the entrance. Everything seemed to be enchanted, from the little flapping flags in the non-existent wind and the winking lights that made the plastic tent sparkle in strange places. It seemed to be alive with activity as well. Horses grazed on wild blackberries that littered the treeline to the woods, tended by the horse master (who sat snoring on an upturned barrel). Tiny brown-skinned children threw water balloons at each other to and fro. One headed straight towards the pair that had materialised at the entrance, and Robin caught it directly in the face with Christobelle being showered with tiny droplets behind him. Robin let go of her with an exaggerated roar and chased after the squealing children, picking two up by the waist and carrying them, giggling, back to Christa. "Sorry about that, love. Shall we go in?" Perhaps Christa might have been intimidated by the amount of people, but as Robin kicked open the flap to the main stage with his foot (children squirming in his arms and poking him in the ribs), the area was fairly empty but for a technician or two.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Robin had such a cute face, how could Christobelle resist? Undoubtedly he was four or five years younger than her, and would be weirded out if he happened to find out how old she was, but hey. That didn't really matter. It's not like I'm going to see him again after today, most likely, Christobelle reassured herself. She let out another small 'eep!' as he put his arm around her waist - she hadn't been expecting that - and then with only a very small warning, Christobelle found herself disapperating, only to reappear outside the circus.

The circus was a beautiful place, almost setting Christobelle's heart a flutter. It was like a work of art, really, especially the enchanted feel it had to it. Christobelle stopped, closing her eyes and smiling gently to herself, before feeling a bit of water being showered on to her. Opening her eyes, Christobelle bit her lip as she saw a couple of children with water balloons running around. Retreating in to her shell, so to speak, Christobelle gazed down at the ground, holding her hands together in an awkward fashion. There weren't many people around, but Christobelle still managed to feel awkward and a little frightened. At least the main stage was mostly empty. Instead of voicing an answer, Christobelle simply nodded, feeling extremely out of place, and followed Robin's lead, staying a couple of paces behind him. Christobelle wasn't exactly sure how to deal with children.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

They were almost at the large circular stage before Robin finally decided to put the naughty children down. Both kids were squealing, giggling and biting. "Put us down, Uncle Rob!" He only laughed blew a raspberry at them, which they repeated to themselves, giggling like mad. Finally he set them down, and off they ran, blowing right past Christobelle. "Circus kids. Wild as anything!". It was obvious that Robin cared greatly for the little ones. He'd been with La Grande his entire life, and had seen every one of the little toddlers and children born one after another. He even trained some of the older ones in whatever their parents did or specifically what they asked to be trained in. Rob did everything for them.

Without hesitation, he planted a hand on the stage at waist-height and hauled himself up till he was crouched on the wood and looking down at Christa. "Have you ever seen aerial silk performed? It is sometimes called tissue." Aerial silk was Robin's favourite act, and the more he enjoyed it the better he performed. Christobelle could see anything that she wished to see, and so while she was deciding, he moved down to a small container on the edge of the stage and pulled out a few necessary items. The big tent was toasty warm, and he pulled off his scarf and boots, left in soft socks and a light black shirt. His pants were loose and comfortable already. The shirt would go eventually, but for now he simply powdered his hand and slid back to where Christa was. "Or perhaps trapeze? Trampoline, flipping?". Robin spread his arms like his father did as the ringmaster. "Command me, I'm yours!" he laughed.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Christobelle was in awe of the place. It was so big, so exciting...even when it was empty. The children caused Christobelle to be even more withdrawn than before, but the way her eyes roamed around the place, one could tell that she was quite impressed. Almost child-like. Then again, the woman was very child-like in her demeanor. She gave a very awkward smile at his statement about circus kids, but her eyes roamed the place, almost afraid that she'd miss something.

"Er..." she began, not used to being put on the spot. "Um. I don't mind, really..." she mumbled, blushing. "I...uh...you could...um...show me what you like the most. B-but you don't have to..." she stammered, not meeting Robin's eyes. It was why Christobelle hadn't ever stood out at school, she just wasn't good at standing out or being the centre of attention. She usually cloistered herself away from the world, after all.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

Robin swallowed as Christa stuttered her way through a sentence. She must have been so nervous and embarrassed, yet had the courage to come here just hoping to see something amazing. Well Rob would be damned if he gave her some half-*rsed. His voice was gentler and he smiled at her genuinely. "Aerial silk is my favourite at the moment. Let's start with that." Back he stepped till he reached the far end of the stage to release the soft red material that fell from the ceiling to touch the stage. Robin moved up to is, caressing the silk on his fingers and watching it wave back and forth lazily.
"Feel free to sit just where you please. Wherever is comfortable. I'll tell you anything you want to know about any of the acts," said Robin, a half smile on his face and completely focused on the cloth beneath his fingers. Now that the swinging had stilled, Rob peeled off his shirt without a second thought and tossed it so that it rolled down the stairs in a pile. He was far from obsessive-compulsive. "Aerial silk," said Robin, taking one side of the two pieces of material and winding it around his arm "-Is a mixture of strength and flexibility. You need some level of endurance as well, especially for heights and being upside for long periods of time." He turned his head to smile at her, now calm and relaxed when not in front of a crowd and perfectly serene. Within moments he was well tied up and ready to ascend, which he did by turning himself gracefully backwards, over and over till he was suspended by the arms some ten feet above the ground. "It is almost always done without a wire, for one of the main aspects is the element of danger and show of strength." Which he indulged in then.

The way he held himself upright was entertaining enough, for the way it made every muscle on his stomach and arms stand out. Slowly he curved his back and twisted his arms. The red cloth twisted too, and soon Robin had curled his entire body into a perfect "o" , feet just touching his head and still propped up by the arms. Even under great strain, the artfulness of the position made it seem almost relaxing.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Christobelle moved back slightly, enough so she could crane her neck upwards without hurting it, but not so far away that she couldn't hear him. Sight was not too much of a problem, after all, Christobelle had extremely good eyesight. Too good, in fact, because she noticed the instant Robin removed his shirt and blushed profusely. Oh, stop it, her brain told her, as she looked back down at the ground for a moment before looking back up. She listened carefully as she heard the description of the act, extremely impressed. Christobelle couldn't ever imagine doing something like that. She wasn't exactly a strong person - in fact, due to her small size and her style of living, she was actually fairly weak - and the thought of being suspended in mid air upside-down made her quite uncomfortable. She didn't really have a problem with heights, but that was just insane.

Perhaps it was why her respect for Robin was increasing by the minute. He was quite the talented man, and he was brave and outgoing, quite the opposite of Christobelle, who was a shy introvert. "Without a wire," she repeated in a whisper, her mouth hanging open in a rather uncouth manner as she stared, flabbergasted. "Wow," she breathed, extremely impressed. The way he contorted himself in mid-air, heck, the way he even suspended himself in midair...it was amazing. So graceful and artful, too, something Christobelle could definately appreciate. She shook her head slightly, finding it almost unbelievable. She lost herself in the performance, watching in complete awe. Oh, she was very glad she had done something out of the ordinary today, very glad that she had pushed herself and fought against her reclusive nature to see something different and exciting.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

Now Rob fell silent, and anyone who looked close enough would see his eyes peaked in concentration. It wasn't that he was ignoring Christobelle, but the preparation for the next trick was important; one wrong sequence of knots or twists and he would hit the ground. Hard, and head first. There was a giggling and whispering from the back of the enormous tent where the two children had stayed to watch Uncle Rob perform for a girl. One snickered to the other and off they scampered once more. Robin ignored them and continued.
Carefully he uncurled himself from his flexed position and began loosening the thick ties around his arms. A few moments later as he was hanging by his arm with just one tie around his wrist. Finally he paused to smile at Christobelle, lifting his other hand and beckoning to her. "Come on stage. I want to show you something in a moment." He then promptly continued his work. Like a monkey, Rob began to climb the two silks together till he was almost to the top of the tent; high enough to be frightening. A minute and a half, and he was ready. The silks were almost gone as he had wrapped them securely over and over around his waist. Without hesitation, Robin let himself go.

Like a spindle being let go held only by its string, Robin spun. He turned over and over till he was almost a blur, till 'sproing.' Only a few feet from the ground, there was no more silk left and he swung lightly back and forth, still upside down. Rob twisted his head to smile at Christa. "Come on,"

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Christobelle could see that Robin was concentrating very carefully, so she remained as quiet as possible. Of course, Christobelle wasn't exactly a noisy person to begin with. A couple of the children were giggling in the background, but Christobelle ignored them. She was too focused on the performance to turn away. It was breathtaking, and so dangerous too. One wrong move and he would hurtle to the ground, head first. But Robin performed admirably, managing to be suspended in midair by one hand. And with the other hand, he beckoned her on stage.

She remained rooted to the spot. Stages, even in an empty theatre, had always frightened her. The idea of performing...while she loved to watch others do it, the idea of performing herself was just so daunting that even walking on to a stage was horrifying. But slowly, cautiously, she began to walk towards it. It's empty, it's empty. There's no one else but Robin here. Relax, relax, she told herself frantically, as she took increasingly shaky steps. So much that she almost missed Robin's great descent. Luckily, she caught it. It was incredible, he spun downwards until Christobelle was sure he'd hit the ground and hurt himself...but no, he remained suspended upside down, a few feet off the ground. "I...um...wow. Y-you're very good," Christobelle stammered, clearly impressed.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

Robin was rotating somewhere around Christa's feet at that point, and he promptly turned himself the right way up so that his feet touched the ground. "Thank you," he said in response to her compliment. Ridiculously, he blushed again. What was with him today? He'd been performing since he could walk, then the most nervous girl in the entire world came along and turned him into a quivering mess. What on Earth! Can it, brain. There's more important things right now. After all, Christobelle had finally manage to get to the stage, and Robin wasn't going to waste the opportunity to show her something that she would never have dreamed of doing before.

"I'd like to do one more thing, but I need you help for it," said Rob, conveniently editing out the part that said it wasn't help at all; if anything, he was helping her. He didn't wait for an answer, but stepped closer to wrap one silk around his waist and another around hers. "Here ... if you'll just do this for a moment." said Rob, taking her arms gently and putting them about his neck. Discreetly he secured his arms into the silks and with one smooth movement, he took Christa by the waist and swung them up into the air. She would probably have the life frightened out of her, having been briefly sideways and almost upside down, but moments later there were about five feet from the ground and swinging slowly and gently. Rob's arms were tight around her waist and they were pressed just a little too close, but with the silk at her waist and his arms around her she was perfectly secure. "Hold on to me. Let me know if you're not feeling too good about this," said Robin, his accent softening.

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

What would he need my help for? Christobelle thought to herself, quite confused. I'm an artist, not a gymnast, she thought, but before she could answer, one of the silks was being wrapped around her waist. "Wh-wha..." she muttered, not completely sure of what was going to happen but not sure if she should be afraid or not. But in one sudden movement, she was suspended in the air. "Ah!" she cried, quite frightened. She didn't know what to do, surely she'd fall and hurt herself. Well, Robin didn't, but Robin had obviously practiced this a lot. And he was used to it. Christobelle had never done anything like this before. And even with Robin supporting her, she was deathly afraid.

She noted the close contact, which caused her to freeze up slightly - but really, Christobelle was merely glad to have Robin's support in midair. Honestly, she would have rather been on the ground, but it was better to have support here than be completely alone. "Oh-okay," she muttered, gingerly wrapping her arms around him. It was an awkward gesture for Christobelle, but really it was just to keep herself safe. She needed his support if she was going to be suspended in mid-air, after all.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

It was nice to have someone close after a long time, and though Christobelle probably didn't think of it in that way in the slightest, Robin thought she was utterly adorable. "Hey, that's not so bad is it?" he grinned, looking down at their feet briefly. Even her feet seemed small to him. Robin turned her attention back to Christa, who apparently wasn't too happy with their situation. In fact she looked quite terrified. If she ever got used to the feeling of being in the air, the height that they were suspended from was probably only similar to a swing. Then perhaps it was not the height that she was uncomfortable with, but their proximity. By the look on her face she would have probably passed out if anyone so much as held her hand. He swallowed, trying desperately not to find it endearing at all. It didn't quite work. Before he knew it, Robin's lips were inches from her cheek.

"Robin!"
He flinched so that his cheek brushed hers instead.
"What the hell are you doing, 'eh?"

Within seconds their feet were firmly on the ground, Robin having slid them down and was hurriedly unwrapping the silk from around Christa's waist. "Nothing, Papa!" yelled Robin out across the room to where his father, the ringmaster, was charging up to the stage with murder in his eyes. "I tell you time and time again, you don't bring girls here for practice!". Robin winced, unable to look at Christobelle now. "Come on, this is the first time I've-" "This is the fifth, Robin Lichester! Get yourself down here! You were meant to be going for lunch, and I find you swinging some poor dame around like-". Robin was going redder by the second. "Pa..." Finally they were free from the silks, and for the first time he stumbled back clumsily, shaking the silk away from his foot. He made to jump down the stairs and retrieve his shirt, but his father got there first. Swiping it up in his enormous hands, Tony Lichester's voice boomed out across the big top. "What is this, eh?" "Ah geez..."

 

[Christobelle Montgomery]

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. It was starting to become almost relaxing, swinging in the air...though Christobelle wasn't looking as though she was feeling any easier. She'd never been this close to a near-stranger before, anyway. It was quite perplexing. But his face got closer, and closer, and Christobelle swallowed, because she'd never done this before and didn't quite know what was going to happen and...

...their cheeks brushed as Robin got yelled at. The fifth time? Oh, Christobelle had been an idiot. But of course he brought girls here all the time, it was hardly surprising. Why her, she had no idea, but she wasn't going to stay around to find out. Christobelle hated confrontations and she sure as hell didn't want to get involved in one. Sorry, Robin, she thought to herself, before disapperating with a loud crack, and landing safely back home where she retreated to the sanctuary of her room.

 

[Robin Lichester-Raven]

"...and I'm only lucky that Sabine and Thomas were around to let me know, because if you had spent all of your training letting that girl have a swing on the silks I would have..."
Robin shot a venomous look to the two children peeking out from behind the flaps flaps that served as doors to the back tents. The brother and sister had been giggling the whole time, but at his one look, they seemed to understand just exactly what they had done. He jumped a crack just left of him signaled Christobelle's departure. There was no point in shouting 'Wait!'. It would do about as much good as throwing a marshmallow at a rampaging rhinoceros. She was gone, and if she ever saw him in the street again she'd probably run. For a split second, Robin had believe that she might let him kiss her ... Dammit!

"...because one day you're going to get your own heart broken and it will be no-one's fault but yours!"
Rob looked up at that, having tuned out the rest of his father's familiar rant. His eyes were grey and he simply looked at his Papa, not even bothering to say anything. Seeing the look, his father sighed and took off his hat to wipe his face. "I'll go and start lunch," mumbled Robin, picking up his shirt from the ground and breezing past the children, who looked at each other with furrowed brows. Torino watched his adopted son with the specific worry that only a father possessed. Moments later, he gave a look to the still hiding children and pointed. "Ay, go on, get! Go find Jemima!". The ringmaster sighed and pulled on the chain to raise the silks again. What was going on with his son?

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