I'm not ready to make nice [OPEN]

[Bijou Wilks]

It seemed like there was never a moment without some sort of drama in the Cirque camp, from Lover's escapades to someone joining. But as of late, it had been the Vampaneze Drake and his Ward, the Oracle Bijou, and the whole camp knew about it. They didn't really have a choice in the matter, their screaming match's could be heard for miles. Drake's over protectiveness and Bijou's short temper had collided when she fell in love with a member of the race that Drake despised, a vampire.

The sun had just risen and Bijou's heart seemed to pound like sledge hammer in her chest. Drake had no choice but to end the argument and go to sleep, while Bijou was forced to try and calm her temper. Her boots smacked across the gravel as she walked, the only sound other than the dying ashes of the camp fire. Few would be awake at that moment, so she sat at one of the empty picnic tables. Her fingers ran through her long hair, slowly but surly, her heart began to stop pounding.

[Shendeth Evans]

Despite the growing sunlight, it was still early in the morning when Shendeth slipped out from behind the Little People's tent. He had just got back, having been out all night to feed. A sensible thing to do might be to go to bed for a few hours, but he couldn't. Not now when he felt so alive with the fresh blood and energy from the life he had taken. He made sure to arrive before anyone was there to see, but it also meant that the camp was quiet, too quiet.

Trying not to think too much, the half-vampaneze turned his restless steps toward the campfire. It didn't take long to notice the area's lone occupant once she was in sight, but he didn't really care if she was there or not. Shen was uncomfortable with the idea of having his thoughts read, but otherwise had nothing against the fellow Cirque resident. Even if he had been there, he was too heavy a sleeper to have been bothered by her shouting. He kicked a rock into the fire and sat down at the edge of the table.

"'Morning." he said without meaning, having nothing else to.

[Bijou Wilks]

The second Bijou picked up on the static filled thoughts of that of a member of the night her head snapped up. It was daylight-no matter how early-and there was no way a vampire or vampaneze could be around with out death. But when she heard a gruff voice call out a greeting she smiled slightly and mentally scolded her self, of course it was Shendeth. He was pretty much the only half vampaneze she had met-or half vampire for that matter-yet she had yet to really talk to him. It tended to be that way with certain people who knew who she was, she didn't blame them for not wanting her in their head.

"Morning." The telepath echoed, feeling the table creak softly from the slight addition of weight. "Just got back?" It was the only real reason she could think of as to why the guy would randomly just appear.

[Shendeth Evans]

Shendeth glanced around the silent camp once more before starting to absentmindedly scratch something in the wood of the table with his sharpened nails. When Bijou spoke he gave her a sideways look. Was it just obvious, or was she reading his thoughts right now?

"Yeah, I did. And you?"

It wasn't unusual for him to be out all night, or even to vanish for days, when the Cirque stopped at a town. The reason wasn't always to drink blood. And if he had been sleeping all night, not even all the fury of hell could normally get him up at this hour. However, more so than the night, Shendeth had become a creature of the day. He hadn't like the sun much as a full human, but now its light was a grateful blessing and a time of safety. If something had to be done outside he did it in the afternoon. Summer was here, and by the end of it even he would be positively tan when compared to your usual ghostly vampire. Clinging to the day was another reason not to sleep now, and also a mindset that came from dread of the day when he became a full vampaneze. But none of this explained why Bijou herself had been there first, so he asked her for the sake of conversation.

[Bijou Wilks]

Bijou bit her lip, a nervous habit that she was surprised she had taken on. So Shendeth had been out all night, not that she could blame him. Sometimes the Cirque, with its big tents and crowds of people, just became claustrophobic. The telepath turned her head so that she was facing the half vampaneze. "The usual fight with Drake. He's hell bent that I become a vampaneze because he's paranoid that the great was is going to start soon and he'll need me with him on the battle field." Bijou scoffed, perhaps he had been alive to long, or she was just to young to understand.

Quite frankly, she didn't want to be anything. Hell, she didn't even know who she was. But it was getting to the point where she had half a mind to throw caution to wind and do it just to shut him up. "And of course it doesn't help when your dating a vampire." Bijou pressed her lips into a thin line, realizing that she had just ranting like a lunatic.

[Shendeth Evans]

Maybe it was because he was so young too, as he had nothing against Drake, but from what the telepath said he was inclined to be on Bijou's side in this fight she talked about. As Shendeth understood it Drake was supposed to be protecting her, and well turning her into a vampaneze sounded like a bloody awful way to do that. The best place to be in a war was out of it. And caring if she was dating a vampire was too old and traditional for this little rogue. Sometimes he envied other members of the Cirque who were not quite as cursed. His turning had been forced, though now he couldn't say if it had been for the better. Shendeth had screwed up life as a human and desire to get away had been stronger than regret. The question was if the five years and physical ocean now between the present and home would have been enough by themselves. He looked at Bijou.

"That's stupid. Don't listen to him. You don't want to be forced into being vampaneze.. I know what that's like." His dark green eyes hardened a little, and that was all he'd ever say of his own story. Or think for that matter. Considering who this was, he had been careful to keep his mind blank and vague throughout this. Of course, Bijou didn't seem like the kind of person who would give in, but hopefully she wouldn't mind him saying that anyway. What Drake wanted her to do wasn't something that could ever be taken back.

[Bijou Wilks]

Normally Bijou hated prowling in other peoples thoughts, but at that moment she was tempted. When Shendeth said those words she knew that his thoughts gravitated around how it was he had been changed, and she wouldn't be lying if she said she was curious. With a soft sigh she pawed those curiosities away, Bijou offered a smile at the guy.

"Thanks, Shen. Trust me, I never get forced into anything." She grinned, "Well, other than chores." Bijou was known for having a stubborn will, both Drake and Altair had made sure to remind her of it. And she didn't plan on changing that any time soon, or her decision to stay human for a while.

[Shendeth Evans]

The smile Bijou gave was not quite a knowing one; Shendeth could tell she was curious. He saw it as a good thing, because he'd be much happier answering an innocent question than having his mind read. Besides, he did tend to cultivate mystery. Few knew more than that. And only someone very skilled at picking up accents would even guess where he was from, because of both travel and purpose. Though not many dared to ask much. The half-vampaneze grinned back at the girl after what she said. Good for her. Not even the most stubborn could refuse their part in the Cirque for long.
"Yeah, aren't we all." He was just good at getting out of it.

[Bijou Wilks]

The very first thing that she had learned since she woke up in the Cirque Du Freak one fateful winter night was to tell the difference between speaking and thinking. But of course, sometimes the lines were blurred. The thing with Bijou's telepathy was that at her current amount of control was that she had no choice but to pick up on the scattered thought of others. The only exception was that of vampaneze and vampires, who's thoughts came through in bits and pieces like a radio filled with static.

And one of those lines blurring moments occurred at that very moment when Bijou heard that Shendeth was good at getting out of his chores. "I wouldn't doubt it." She said with a grin, it faded in half a second flat when she realized her mistake. A cuss word slipped out under her breathe, she was never good at talking to people, "Oh God, Shendeth. I'm sorry."

[Shendeth Evans]

It took him a few seconds to realize what had disturbed Bijou. There was nothing wrong with her reply.. except it might be redundant after what he said alone. In a flash he had leaned away from her a little, instantly wary. "Did you just..?" It wasn't a question really meant to be answered, because he could tell. Because of the way she was acting, Shendeth didn't lash out at her. Instead, he did however feel the urge to come up with some excuse to leave. 'It's okay, but well speaking of chores, I've got to get going.'He opened his mouth to voice this aloud but stayed where he was as something else came out.

"How does that work anyway? Do you butt into people''s thoughts or just hear everything or what?" At this point curiosity had taken over, and he would have liked to read Bijou's mind. He had thought she had to try to do it but maybe that wasn't always the case. The half-vampaneze wasn't as bothered as he could be, it wasn't like the idea she had responded to had been a dark secret or anything. But he wondered what else she knew and what she was thinking.

[Bijou Wilks]

Bijou automaticly started to fidget with her hands, it was a quirk of her's to wring her wrists. She could feel the soar of his thoughts, combating her own. Yet in that moment Shendeth did something rare, he surprised her. Most would just make an excuse to leave-like he had planned to-but instead he asked her about it.

Her eye brows furrowed for a moment, trying to piece together an explanation. "Have you ever walked through a super market, like K-Mart or Wal-mart? Well, you know that section in electronics where all the radios are? You know, where the stupid brat sets the alarms all to go off at the same time on random stations and they all blare out things at once so loud that you can't hear your own voice? That's me in a crowd." Bijou knew that being a telepath was a bitter sweet thing, and it was the best way that she could explain it to Shendeth.

[Shendeth Evans]

Shendeth stayed where he was and listened to Bijou, waiting to reserve judgment until she had finished talking. He didn't know those American stores very well but it didn't matter, he got the picture of what she was trying to say. The way she put it, it sounded like it wasn't such a great gift all the time. She wasn't lying. So, she couldn't help it. The part about crowds would annoy him too, since they were obnoxiously loud as it was, but he couldn't completely sympathize with a power he didn't have. The knowledge didn't put him at ease either, because however it worked in the end she was still reading his mind. Even so he didn't leave just yet. "Like a radio, got it. So you just.. hear everything?"

[Bijou Wilks]

Bijou nodded, biting her lip. "Thanks for staying around long enough to listen. Most people don't, its kind of nerve racking. Actually, trying to explain and finding out someone actually wants to know." Bijou let her hands fall to her lap, glancing out at the horizon, smiling softly. "Its such a pretty sun rise, so many hues of red and pink. It seems like I notice it more and more." Perhaps it was being surrounded by vampires and vampaneze, but Bijou had been noticing the little things more and more. The sun on her face, the wind in her hair, it all seemed so precious now, so mortal.

[Shendeth Evans]

Shen watched Bijou for a few seconds as he considered her. "I won't pretend to be compassionate, but yeah, I get that." Being able to hear was not the same as listening. He was too cynical to believe she wouldn't pay any attention to his thoughts, even if she couldn't help it and his not wanting her to wouldn't have been much clearer if he said it. But it didn't matter; he was too careful to form clear thoughts about anything he wouldn't want her to hear.

Indeed the only obstacle was a tiny part of him that wished for someone to talk to, and having it be an accident would be the easiest way. No, he didn't voice this in his head but Bijou couldn't be it. He was a worse than terrible person and he knew it, laughed at it, but that meant the more she heard the less she would want to.

Shendeth glanced down at the table before following her gaze to the sunrise, happy to let that take over. "So do I." There was a saying that you don't know what you had until it's gone. He was heartless enough to tell himself that he had never had anything to start with, but things had changed. As for sunrises themselves, here he was watching one, but they were numbered. Not that he was going to live to go through the Purge at this rate.

[Bijou Wilks]

Bijou glanced around at everything, the tents holding the sleeping freaks, the few vans that were lined up, the ashes in the fire pit, and slowly came back to the sunset. It seemed as though nothing were permanent anymore, in a week or so the ground they were one would once again be an empty lot. The towns people's chatter about them would die out and be forgotten.
Every song has its end, and it seemed like the Cirques had the shortest chorus of them all. "I don't know what it is, but I feel so mortal. Between Drake and Altair, I'm the only one who ages. Here I am in the middle of probably the longest running Circus and it'll out live me. Its weird to think about. " She looked at him, no humor in her gaze. "Have you ever thought about dying? It seems like its all I do now a days."