Training Room (Gambits & Zanies)

The room is simple, but well-equipped with the needed materials and equipment for both Zanies and Gambits to practice their acts agreeably. All the equipment for the Zanies and their comedy material can be found in one closet, while special apparatus for the Gambits' random and unique needs are placed in another. Items not in use are expected to be put away in the storage, which is located at the very side of the room. As it is with every room, this training room is monitored by surveillance cameras and if any Gambit accident takes place, the scientists are quick to arrive on the scene. It is common knowledge among the scientists now that the rowdy quarrels which take place in this room are best to go ignored, for they are too frequent and too petty to continue on paying attention to.

The door to the training room creaked open and in walked Aiden, with his goofy grin and bouncy steps. He didn't really have a reason for coming in, since he trained with the animals, but he was dying of boredom and he had nowhere else to go. He looked around before noticing that the room was much quieter than usual. Most of the time there would be daggers and arrows whizzing about, whips crackling and the clang of metal against metal. There would also be the fire roaring in the background and much more.

Oddly the atmosphere was light, it was missing the dangerous aura that usually lingered during practice hours. "Well, this is a nice change." He mumbled to no one in particular. "Way better than cold chill of death that usually fills the entire room, major improvement." He continued to mumble to himself.

Silence.

Aiden did not like the silence one bit. It made him feel alone, which was something else he loathed. Despite being stuck in the underground circus he was happy because he had friends and there were others just like him. The scientist always said no one above ground would ever accept them and he believed them wholeheartedly. At times Cammie would tell him they were wrong, that there was something else out there, that there was hope away from all the stage lights, makeup and death defying stunts. He wanted to believe her, but he couldn't.

He snapped out of his thoughts and stared blankly at the wall. Aiden shook his head slowly and once again put on a smile. There was no point in being sad. There was no out there. There was only a here. There was no future, there was only a present. He chuckled to himself and uttered a phrase he had heard one of the scientists use. "Carpe Diem."

The memory was fresh in his mind. He was nine back then, he had asked the scientist what the future held, the man had pushed up his glasses and smiled eerily. "Carpe Diem, kid. Live for the moment."

That was what Aiden would do, he'd make the most of what he had. He'd keep smiling no matter what. He had to.

Caleb pushed the doors to the training room slowly, trying not to make much sound. He then carefully poked his head into the small crack he had managed. His amber eyes surveyed the place and saw a lone figure. Caleb wished that the figure did not notice him and almost shrunk back out the door.

"No," a voice said in his head.

At the reinforcement of the voice, Caleb further opened the door to let his body in. Another's presence in the training room should not deter him from training today. He needs to train. Caleb can't please the fellow members of the theatre due to his body heat. The least he can do is to please the audience.

Caleb nodded a polite greeting to the figure who he recognized as his roommate, Aiden. He then took silent steps to the place where his equipment is stored. Caleb took out a torch and three of the juggling balls. He put the torch in a holder and dragged his equipments to his usual corner.

The torch burst into bright hot flames... or so Caleb assumed. He was unaffected by the heat.
He took some fuel into his mouth. Caleb closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the unconfident amber is replaced with eyes of determination.

He made the liquid leave his mouth, and the beads caught on fire in the air. Caleb then quickly toss up the three balls in which he previously drenched in the same fuel. The balls burst into white light. A strand of frantic slipped into Caleb's mind. His hand left the torch, expecting it to not move anymore while he struggled to catch the balls of fire and tried to juggle them straight away.

The torch disobeyed. Instead of standing still, it tumbled to the ground. Caleb shifted to the side to avoid his shoe from catching fire. He saved himself, however lost control of the juggling. The bright balls of fire falls to the ground one after another. Caleb used the fire extinguisher at them with a sigh.

Caleb's skills are merely average, and he is well aware of the fact. He shall practice more.

Sick...Why did I have to get sick now?... Aria thought as she sat next to a wall in the training hall. She had not been feeling well the last three days even with nanobots in her blood. The wounds on her right arm keep on hurting, some even bleeding a little. The pain had kept her up every night so there were bags underneath her eyes. Her movements have also been a lot more sluggish even when she trained, even eating was a pain to her today so she did had not eaten breakfast but ate lunch alone. That is why is had been sitting in the training hall and in the dark. Slowly she pulled up the right side of her zipped jacket to reveal side and the hole that was there. Inside the hole was a vial about the same size. Pulling the vial out, Aria checked the amount of nanobots she had left. About twenty-four hours or even eighteen hours till I need a new vial and maybe stronger bots...

Upon hearing voices and seeing the doors to the training room open, Aria moved deeper in the shadows to stay hidden and stuck the vial back into the hole in her side. Wincing with pain, She listened to the voices and recognized both figures that walked in as being Caleb and Adien, which she had nothing to do with anyways. She watched them for awhile, remaining in the shadows as she did so.

I hope that they do not see me... She thought again as she pulled the hood of her jacket up. She liked to be alone, not trusting any of her fellow experiments. When the sudden light of fire appeared in the corner of her vision, Aria nearly freaked out by it. Fire?...Why does it have to be fire?... She sighed mentally while trying to stay calm physically.

Aiden's ear twitched almost the same way a dog's ear did. He smiled broadly, someone had finally decided to enter the training room, but who? He would have cocked his head to the side, but the instant increase in temperature made him realize it was Caleb. He was the only one who made a room warmer when he took a step inside. Aiden turned around and gave the younger boy a cheery wave. "Hey, Caleb." He greeted, the smile never leaving as if it were glued to his face.

His roommate piqued his curiosity, the young teen was always so sheepish. He defo needs a confidence boost. Aiden thought to himself. Maybe later when they returned to the dorm he'd try talking to the kid. Get him to open up a little, maybe even lighten up. He crossed his arms over his chest then leaned against the wall. Perhaps he'd observe for a bit. Aiden watched as the boy juggled fire, it went on fine until his torch fell onto the ground. After that his entire act unravelled and it ended with Caleb putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

"Not half bad," Aiden smiled reassuringly. "But not totally and spectacularly out of this world either." He gave his roommate a thumbs up. "Just keep practicing and someday you'll blow the audience right outta their seats." He walked towards the fallen torch, since he and Caleb were roommates he knew what to expect the moment he stepped towards the kid, so despite the rapid increase of heat he did not flinch. Though he wasn't that comfortable either. Aiden picked up the fallen torch then held it out towards Caleb. He had a slight smile on his face, the last thing he wanted was to scare his timid roommate away. In the past he had tried to befriend the younger boy, but it wasn't exactly an easy task.

Aria watched the two males for a bit while she tried to figure out a way to slip pass them without being seen by them. To her luck, all her escape routes were flooded in light. Damn... How am I going to get out of here? She thought still hiding in her shadowy area. Maybe making a break for it...

As she started to stand, a sudden pain struck in her right arm with small drips of blood dropping off her fingers. Aria could hardly deal with the pain being as bad that it is. A whimper crossed her lips as she fell back down in sitting position. Her eyes widen, just realizing that she let out a whimper, and looked over towards the two males hoping that they did not hear her. Oh no... Why did I do that... Please dear God, don't let them have heard that... Please.

Right after thinking that, Aria suddenly got light headed for some reason. The blood that was trickling down her arm had not stopped, forming a pool of blood next to her. Dammit... Lost too much blood...Mig...ht...pa...ss...out. She thought as her started to get blurry and her eye lids getting heavier with each passing second. Slowly she collapsed completely to the floor, her clothes now covered in her own blood. Her hand was now visible in with a bean of light going over it.

The scent of blood.

Aiden's eyes narrowed before he scrunched up his nose. He sniffed the air and felt slightly hungry, but he immediately threw that thought away. Had someone gotten themselves injured? He thought no one else but Caleb and him were in the training room. Now however he realized he was wrong. Despite his canine like sense of hearing, he couldn't identify every sound in a room. He had to focus on one at a given time then move on.
He immediately dropped the torch and begun scanning his surroundings. The goofy smile faded and was immediately replaced by a serious expression. Almost like a hunter looking for prey, however Aiden's intentions were good and not that of a hungry and bloodthirsty animal.

"Something is wrong, Caleb." He spoke calmly despite the wild look in his usually calm blue eyes. That smell always made the wolf inside a tad more noticeable. Though Aiden would never go berserk over blood. It was a common thing within the circus grounds especially with the Aerials and Gambits. They did stunts everyday, and blood always accompanied dangerous stunts. The only thing blood did to the boy, was remind him of food and place a wild gleam in his eyes.

Thud,

his ears twitched once more, the distinct sound of someone hitting the ground was also quite familiar. "This way." He mumbled before breaking off into a run. Whether Caleb followed or not he was going to go. So much for boring, the afternoon had turned into something else. He skidded to a stop in front of a shadowy corner and saw someone hunched over the ground. He sucked in a breath of air and stared. It took a few moments from him to realize who it was. It was the cold and distant, Aria.

"W-what do we do?" He stammered, then swallowed hard to regain his calm. He didn't want the younger teen to freak out. He crouched down and noticed the blood oozing down her arm. This didn't look like any minor injury. They needed to call a scientist.

It was until Caleb heard Aiden's voice behind him that he noticed that the other was behind him. Caleb has always tried to put everything into every round of practice. He blamed the last failure on a slip of his mind-- he had worried about another failure, and he blamed it on himself.

Caleb turned back to face the other, dropping his task at hand. Why is he standing so close? Caleb felt that he should put some distance between them. It is probably the right thing to do, he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be so close to him. However, Caleb also noticed the fallen torch in Aiden's hand... and a smile on his face.

Caleb tried to return a smile. Would stepping back now be rude? And I should take the torch. Caleb is torn. He wasn't usually so bad at these things, but the rise of temperature in him had change things since then.

Too much time thinking.

Before Caleb could come up with a decision, Aiden's attention was taken. Caleb caught the torch and dropped it in the holder after putting it out. He muttered a quick word of gratitude and blinked at Aiden's words in confusion.

A moment of puzzlement stuck Caleb in place, but he quickly followed after he caught on with what's happening. The boy wasn't as fast as Aiden. Caleb immediately paused in his tracks after noticing what Aiden has approached.... Aria.

He can't. Going any further wouldn't do both of them any good.

Caleb raised his amber eyes to meet Aiden's. He clenched his hands in fists to stop the shaking.
He shook his head. I don't know.

The scientist walked down the hallway, a cigarette dangling from the unsmiling corner of his mouth. Pesky kids, bah, they're more hassle than they're worth. Too bad we have to keep them alive and well. Quartz wants them peachy keen. Well, those freaks are our little gold mines. He pushed up his thick rimmed glasses then stuffed both his hands into the pockets of his impeccably white lab coat. He had been on coffee break when it had happened and he was getting quite comfortable in his chair. In fact he was reading a good book, and he was just about to get to the most interesting part when his phone had begun to beep.

Bzzt, Bzzt.

On the other end of the line was his irritated superior. "What do you think you're doing? One of the kids just passed out. Get there quick you good for nothing rookie. There are screens plastered upon the walls of the room you are in? Are you blind?"

"Sorry sir, I didn't notice. I was on coffee break and reading." He had replied in a calm and apologetic voice despite the irked expression on his face.

"Sorry?" The man on the other end of the line laughed disdainfully. "Sorry won't cut it if anything happens to that kid, so get off your lazy bum now." His superior scolded before the line went dead. Deafening silence was the only thing that followed.

The scientist's rubbed his temples. He quickened his pace and made a quick right turn. He stopped in front of the door to the Zany and Gambit's training room then sucked in a breath of air. He pushed the door open and quickly made his way inside. There he saw two boys staring worriedly at the ground. His eyes darted to the crumpled figure on the floor and he sighed. Number 071...I'll need to get her to the lab, probably a bug with her nano bots.

Aiden had turned momentarily only to see a scared Caleb. Now is not the time for a panic party, we need to be rational. He thought to himself. He was just about to pick her up, but stopped when the door was suddenly pushed open. Aiden hopped to his feet and immediately spun around. Oh, it's a white coat. He didn't exactly like them, but he couldn't be happier to see a white coat at the moment.

"Move, I'll handle this." The white coat commanded in a gruff voice. Aiden immediately obeyed and walked to the side. He didn't want to upset the scientist, and he'd fix Aria up anyways. He watched as the Scientist picked up his fellow Gambit then walked out of the room in a rush. He could have sworn that the man was cursing under his breath. Aiden scowled in the man's general direction when the door slammed shut then turned to face the younger boy. "I'm sure they'll fix her up." He said in an attempt to calm him down. They have to right? I mean it is their job.

Caleb quickly dropped the hands clenching at the corner of his shirt when the scientist walked in. His child defiance will not let a scientist see him as a weak and shivering kid. Regardless of how much that is true.

Caleb was never in his way, so he didn't move from his spot. Instead, he followed the scientist with guarded eyes. He knows well that the scientists will fix Aria up, but there a part of him that holds a grudge against them.

Caleb's eyes followed the man all the way until he disappeared after closed doors. The boy stared at the door for a moment, spacing out until his roommate's voice brought him down to Earth. That was when he turned to Aiden. Caleb nodded, he even tried to pull a reassuring small smile.

The head of Gambits walked lazily down the hall, slow and steady with a relaxed air. Well relaxed in till the boy watched a particular grumpy looking “monster” - as he had dubbed the scientists, carrying Aria.
“What happened…?” But his whisper was either ignored or unheard as the monster walked on, not even given the boy any acknowledgment. He couldn’t help it; Toby began to scrunch up his face in annoyance and even disgust.

I hate you. Aria better be alright…you better darn right fix her!


After the pause Toby Foster carried on down the hall, back to walking towards the training room but now with a slouch and obvious anger. He couldn’t have been happier that no one else happened to be in the hall, he could stew in his hatred without having to worry. With a shove and a slam of a door Toby entrance was announced, he didn’t mean to make such a sound but he couldn’t help it. The teenager honestly didn’t know his own strength; he couldn’t even feel it to judge. The gambit head spotted his roommates right off the bat, his sour look of before was whipped away in an instant and replaced by a faint smile. He awkwardly shoved his hands into his over-sized jackets pockets, Toby was never seen except during training or shows without that jacket. Black and a size or two too big on him, it always hanged on his frame, something about it was comforting. He couldn’t feel the fabric but even so, it was “comfortable”. Maybe it was like a child’s blanket in a sense; Toby had had the jacket since….well a very long time. You could say he was attached to it.


With a shrug he called out “Hey” Walking over he joined the two younger boys, trying to keep curiosity from his features but he obviously failed. He looked like a confused puppy.
“Caleb, Aiden…what uh…happened?” He shifted his body, pointing towards the door and hoping to make it obvious he was referring to Aria.

Leaning against the wall outside the Gambit and Zany training was Hina. Today she was wearing a long black dress with her white hair let down. Clenched in her left gloved hand was the dull yellow ribbon that she normally would wear. Looking down at the ribbon, she remembered moments from her past.

I will warn you only once…Come near me again and it could mean your death… These words of Aria's warning echoed through Hina’s mind as she watched a scientist exit the training with the original in his arms to get repaired. The scar she had was burning a teeny bit at the thought of Aria’s last warning to her.

“I can’t stay away from you, my dear original. I must watch over you since you look like ‘them.’” She spoke gloomily as a shadow, made from her bangs, formed over her eyes. She then push herself off of the wall, a sudden sound of metal clinking came to her ears upon standing straight. Her right hand shot up to her neck to grab onto something small. It was the small metal charms of her necklace. They were of the two halves of a yin-yang symbol. Hina clenched the charms in her hand as a single tear fell down the side of her face, just to wipe it away as soon as it happened.

Thoughts raced through Hina's mind as she walked in the Gambit and Zanies training room. At first glare she did not see anyone inside but as she looked again, a group of three guys caught her eye. Recognizing them as Toby, Caleb, and Aiden, she decided it would do her some good to talk to someone. Before she walked over to the group, Hina heard Toby ask the other two what had happened.

“If you do not mind me answering that question, Aria has been sick the last few days and her arm had been paining her too.” Hina stated, trying not to make her words sound harsh. She turned her head to look over at the pool of blood the three were standing by and sighed.

“She really needs to learn how to restrain herself during training. This will happen more if she does not learn too.” Hina spoke aloud to no one in particular with her arms crossed over her chest. She then looked out of the corner of her eye looking at them again. “I am sorry if my appearance and personality does not match what you normally see of me. Just going through a hard day.” She added, sighing and face-palming herself for her our even saying that. She pulled a piece of paper out from a pocket in her dress, holding it out for Toby to take.

"Please give the note to me in about twenty minutes, but please do not read it." A scowl crossing her face as she look at Toby and the other two males. She had no time to deal with them because the change between and her innocent side could happen at at moment. She then tucked the note into Toby's jacket, turns around, and leaves the training room without another word.

He blinked, unsure how to react to the girl’s unusual actions. Toby didn’t know Hina well but this…this wasn’t her at all. How bad a day was she having to act so…oddly, she was acting cold basically like Aria. The boy had always viewed the two what he believed to be sisters as polar opposites, Hina’s out of character actions had destroyed everything he thought about her.
Finally he got ahold of himself, nodding with a faint “Thanks” his smile once again on his lips. As his hands came out to take the note it was shoved into his pocket, causing the boy to take a step back as he came unbalanced. He watched with his roommates speechless as the odd acting Hina left, his hand clutching the note the whole time.

Even if I wanted to read it, I can't...


The gambit head turned to his friends, his smile showing his confusion. “Well sounds like Aria will be alright” He tried to grin, to somehow make everything better. He was the head after all, he was supposed to comfort his fellow gambits…but how he wasn’t sure. Why was he even made a head? Once of the many things the scientists did he’d never understand everything that went on in this circus just made the boy’s head spin. God, why did you make me so stupid?

“Have either of you seen Hina act like that before…? It was…weird” His smile faltered, threatening to turn to a frown as his eyes lost contact with his friends. The hand holding the slip of paper pulled out, staring down at it as he became mute. Hina had suddenly become a puzzle and naturally, Toby was not good at puzzles. In fact, he hated puzzles.

Why did she give me the note…? Shouldn’t she have given it to Willow, that’s her head…gah! All this makes my head hurt.

With a shake of his head he shoved the note back into his pocket, his grin back on again “Ah either of you need any help with training?”

"Toby," A small smile graced the boy's lips when he saw the Gambit leader he feels comfortable with. Caleb wanted to tell him about what happened, but decided that the scene could very much explain itself. Caleb looked to Aiden, half expecting him to answer the leader's question, for he was known to be the talkative one. However, neither of them had a chance to provide Toby an answer before Hina entered and gave them one.

Caleb's eyes drifted to Hina. He is well aware that it is not good to stare, so he tried to look at her without attracting much attention. His known tendency to keep to himself will probably be an advantage for once. Caleb couldn't help it, his child curiosity took over, and allowed him eyes to tip toe all over Hina. He searched, for a trait. A trait in appearance that marked this Hina apart from the other Hina with a different demeanour. So far there has been none in sight.

too long

Yes, he should probably stop now. The amber eyes returned to their usual position- turned down at the floor. Caleb wondered whether he should leave, and leave Toby, Hina, and Aiden to themselves. His presence isn't something so comfortable to be in afterall. Caleb waited for the right moment to carefully extract himself, a moment that would attract the least attention. He would then clean up the mess he made. Probably practice some more, probably leave the room.

Caleb was then again too slow in putting forth his thoughts into action. Hina left before Caleb could extract himself, and all there is left is the roommates in the training room. Slow, slowpoke! The boy mentally chastised himself for his lack of decisive decision making skills, but it was soon interrupted by Toby.

"Aah, Toby..." The boy scratched his hair as he struggled to put forth the request. He's a friend, its okay. "I-if its not too troubling, by any chance you could catch a torch? .... and maybe twirl it , I'm having trouble putting it quickly back into the stand and keeping it stable.. " He explained.

The door slammed shut, but Aiden didn't bother. The animal tamer was lost in his own thoughts about Aria and the scientist. Can those white coats be trusted at all? He shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. He honestly didn't know what to think of the scientists. He didn't like them, but they kept him and the other kids alive and gave them a place to stay. A family. "Yeah right." He mumbled disdainfully, the circus didn't feel like a family at all, at times it felt like a prison. But then again, in the circus people understood each other and each one of them had their own pains, so despite it all they were still a family...a twisted one.

A familiar voice made their way to his ears and Aiden spun around only to see Toby. "Yo captain." He greeted with a weary salute. His face missing its signature goofy looking smile. The head Gambit asked about Aria and Aiden found himself at a loss for words. He ruffled up his shaggy blond hair, a frown plastered to his face. He was never one to take injured comrades lightly. "Well..." He would have continued, but Hina arrived and answered the question that was aimed at both Caleb and Him. The animal tamer felt slightly relieved, glad that he would no longer have to retell what had happened. However, his relief was immediately replaced with worry and a questioning glance immediately made it's way to his face.

That can't be Hina. Wait? What am I thinking of course it's her...but she's acting a little bit off today. He tilted his head slightly almost like a confused dog would. Well, she did say it was a rough day. I hope she feels better soon.

He stared at Hina as she handed Toby the paper and couldn't help but feel curious. However, Aiden immediately pushed the curiosity away because that paper was none of his business and he too could not decipher the written letters on a page. He just couldn't read or write and he wasn't exactly happy about it, since books seemed to be filled with worlds unlike any other. Cammie says the worlds inside of books are far happier than ours. I wish I could jump inside, but some things are just impossible.

The head Gambit's voice once again fished him out of his own thoughts. What did he say? Something about... Aria being alright? He blinked twice before snapping back fully into reality. "Oh," Aiden sounded a lot less cheery than usual. "Good, they better fix her up well."

Toby attempted a grin, but it looked far from happy. Aiden sucked in breath of air then tried to put on one of his own silly smiles. The least he could do was help his roommate lighten up the dismal mood that had enveloped the Gambit and Zany's training room. The head Gambit continued to talk and Aiden found himself shaking his head in reply. "Nope, she's usually...happy. But, she's had a bad day, captain." He attempted another smile. "People tend to act differently when upset, right? So no big deal. She'll bounce back eventually." He continued with what he hoped was a cheery voice. Though Aiden didn't quite believe his own words. Toby then asked if any of them were in need of assistance. Caleb answered and Aiden gave his younger roommate a reassuring smile. "Have fun~! I'll stick around to enjoy the show." He walked towards the corner of the room then leaned against the wall.

His eyes were clear and focused on both Toby and Caleb, but his thoughts were a wandering and incomprehensible mess.

It took Caleb another moment -of replaying past events out of paranoia- to realize that there was something off about Aiden's words. Aiden wasn't half as cheery as he usually is, and Toby's grin looked far from reassuring. It wasn't difficult to figure what is wrong with the two. Caleb himself was upset about what happened too, but his young mind is easy to distract. Especially easy when he's trying to get his mind off the upsetting matter.

So what did Caleb do wrong?

He looked uncaring. He shouldn't suggest something else when something like that just happened. He shouldn't dismiss the matter like nothing. He shouldn't-

Caleb blossomed an apologetic smile. "Aah, sorry-" He swallowed the words. "I didn't mean to.." He trailed off, rushing over to the previously ignored equipments to clean them up. Leaving the supply corner, he nodded to the two and flashed another apologetic smile.

"Sorry- Sorry for troubling," Caleb left for the hallways.

This is where you belong now, kiddo. The man said as he ruffled the six year old's shaggy blonde hair. There was no more Good Smile orphanage there was only an impeccably white and sterile room. There were no more story nights only nights filled with poking, prodding and syringes. The nuns had said the outside world would be a better place, but it wasn't. "Is this where I'll have to live?" He had asked hopefully as he stared at the white coats, and breathed in the scent of antiseptic.

"Yea,it's not so bad." He placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "We'll make you faster and stronger." He crouched so he would be staring eye to eye with Aiden. "Don't you want that, you'll be able to help us out. It would make things fair, I mean we adopted you it would only be fair to repay the favor right, kiddo?

Blue eyes stared back and they were filled with confusion. "I guess so," he fumbled with his fingers. "I like helping people."

The white coat held up a syringe filled with a crimson sort of liquid. "Good, just stay put kiddo. In a few months you'll never be the same. Think of it as living in touch with your inner animal." Aiden nodded and the scientist gave him a smile brimming with confidence.


Bam,

Aiden was snapped out of his daze and noticed the Caleb had run out the door. He stared at the gambit leader then flinched at the awkward silence. Usually he'd chatter away to lighten up the mood but this time he felt gloomy and he just wasn't in the mood to crack jokes after he had seen his fellow gambit in a pool of her own blood. "Uhm sorry captain, I'm not feeling all the well." He forced an apologetic smile onto his face then gave Toby a half-hearted wave. "I'll catcha later, if not then I'll see you and Caleb back at the dorm room." He nodded slightly then walked towards the door. He twisted the knob then walk out into the hall.

"Bye captain, sorry for walking out on your offer." He mumbled then gave the door a lazy kick.

Thud,

The animal tamer let out a long sigh then begun walking briskly down the hall. He wanted to clear his head, he wanted to keep smiling no matter what. Today just wasn't one of his good days.

One of the strangest things that he noticed about other people was their aversion to silence. It was really rare for him to chance upon a trio of circus performers who didn't speak a word to each other; always there was a conversation about who had a crush on the Head blah, that person who tripped on the wire onstage, certain girl who didn't like this food... Name it. It was somewhat unsettling, really, since Soel felt compelled to break his own silence too. Unfortunately, be it a force of habit or the power of his own nature, the gambit never managed to spark up a controversy of his own (Not that he liked being the center of attention; that always inconceivably happened during showtime anyway...) and that was a great thing. Really.

Soel mentally slapped himself. Here he was again, deluding himself into thinking that everyone else was as happy with silence the same way as him. He suddenly thought of a certain gambit who wouldn't fit into that box... And also remembered that the zany he was following was in no way a fan of noise. Eh, that means everything is even then. Maybe. If only he had a sign that Luci wasn't feeling awkward...

"Thank you," Soel was a bit startled at how .... somber his tone was. Considering the unease he felt inside, shouldn't his voice be a bit more cracked...? Whatever. This insouciance was a great source of defense whenever he was being preached at by the high and mighty S-people.

And wait a minute... Light! The light! He immediately cringed at his own loss of concern. The path that the two were currently treading on was a bit lit, you see, and although it wasn't that bright he feared that Luci might have a dizzy spell... Or worse. He never really saw her faint or anything, but it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to the delicate ones. Soel instantly positioned himself on a better angle so that his shadow was, well, looming over the more petite zany. It suddenly struck him that he was considerably... tall. Oh, what was the relevance...? The shadow should be a temporary safety measure until they reach the inside of the training room, where there was sure to be shade.

Luci was the quiet sort, which did make it difficult to tell if she felt awkward. It was a certain excited bounce to her steps that offered any assurance to Soel that she seemed entertained. The light was a tad strong today but not too bad. She tugged at the sleeves of her shirt and pulled at her hat a bit more until she felt the coolness of Soel’s shadow. It was such a relief that she could even tilt her head to properly look at him from this angle without blinding herself when he spoke.

“It was no trouble. Crowds can be a bit much at times, you didn’t look happy.” She explained keeping pace with him. In the shadowed space shielding her from the light Luci’s vibrancy showed better. Patterns of color seemed to appear and disappear quickly beneath her skin, perfectly in sync with her feelings as one would assume. It was an idea that struck her causing a distinct pattern on her face that gave some warning. “About before though…there really is something I want to show you!” Her eyes looked at Soel enthusiasm filling them as her hands also reflected her excitement in small gestures. It was when they came to the training room doors that she entered, glancing at Soel to make sure he was still there. Settling herself in one of the darker shaded parts of the room she sat down on her knees her gaze staring at Soel, waiting for him to do the same.

Well, you could expect at least Mono and Luci to be considerate about his welfare. The gambit's face looked something close to smiling as he toiled along behind his friend. "And that was nice of you," Soel tried, but the compliment that came out of his mouth sounded stiff, of all things it should sound like. He bit down hard on his lip and tucked his hands in his pockets. If one was paying close attention to his body then they would've noticed that his slump became pronounced all of a sudden, as if he was trying to cave himself in. However, Luci's energetic movements made him look up.
"Wait, calm down..." Soel tugged on his hood-- force of habit it was-- and immediately tried to sync with Luci's movements. It was pretty easy since he was quick on his feet, but he was more concerned about having enough energy to be able to reach the training room than overstepping the smaller zany. He was a bit lacking today if one was to talk about the enthusiasm department since after all, the scientists brought in a new tiger. Still, Soel knew that he was still far from that point where he'd be forced to draw from his massive inner reservoir of energy, so it was alright to keep moving. 'Sides, it was Luci they were talking about here.

He cruised past the doors of the training room with average ease, a bit glad that there was nothing too newfangled about this place. He didn't really go to this specific training room since the animal tamers were assigned somewhere else, so it felt kind of odd when he stepped inside. Anyway, his gaze instinctively followed Luci again (after a quick inspection of the surroundings, of course) and Soel nodded approvingly when he noticed that she settled down in a relatively dim space. He stepped forward and sat down on his knees too, looking downward at the floor as if something would sprout from it.

"What is it?" Soel's blue-gray eyes gleamed swiftly from under his hood. For a day like this, it sure was nice to have ... well, surprises.

Luci attempted to contain her excitement, knowing the outburst of enthusiasm and color, probably threw Soel off a bit. He seemed tired but her energy was unaffected. She always had a hard time grasping what it was Soel did in the animal taming room. As a zany with no need to interact with the animals she was barred from the room. Her love of animals and curiosity about their similarities with her own mutation was stifled by the scientists. As a sort of compensation they gave her small things to distract her from wanting more, like glow in the dark beads and stickers. Even the zany and gambit training room was a bit foreign to her at this hour. She usually practiced around dusk hours but now she settled with the shade to show Soel what she had discovered.

“Just watch.” She said, a small smile creeping its way across her face. Color danced beneath the surface of her skin as she cupped her hands in front of her. Taking in a breath when she released it the moisture exhaled bloomed with color, like visible water vapor. “I just learned how to do it a few days ago and I’ve been working on trying to make other colors too.” A buzz of excitement caused her voice to waver ever so slightly. It was such a small thing, but she poured her heart into figuring it out that one couldn’t help but want to smile with her.

Although it was something that the other performers would consider unspectacular, to Soel this new ability was just as impressive as an all-out fireworks bonanza. He smiled widely (or as wide as his pinched mouth could allow, now that was something to see) and leaned forward, his penchant for glowing objects spurred into motion by Luci's show. "It's amazing. You must have worked hard to learn that..." He practically exploded with the pride he felt for his friend, and she, no doubt, must feel that heated gaze set upon her face right now. In any occasion, Soel felt that it was more effort than anything he had ever done in his entire life, so he was happy for Luci. Besides, he sort of noticed that she was... bubbling with joy, and it was kind of nice to be riding along with someone's emotions once in a while.

"Show me when you learn new colors?" He asked, the warm smile on his face fading when he realized that he had nothing to show her. It should be some sort of an exchange; she'd present her progress and he'd show her something cool too. It struck that he, in fact, had nothing unless the animals were involved. Both disheartening and grievous, if you ask me.
Soel bit his lower lip and started to immerse himself in thought. Hmm, what indeed could he present as some sort of gift for Luci? A triple cartwheel? No, that was ridiculous-- Besides, she would have seen enough of acrobatics being a zany and all.... A focused expression came over his face at once.