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 Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:16 pm
Lin whistled a scary little tune as he followed Nero who was pushing his latest creation; a little something that would definitely lure Gryff closer so as to 'convince' him to join this great, wonderful and, might we add, marvelous, Circus Sinistaire!
Haven't guessed what it is yet? well then, you don't know Gryff as well as Lin does -- but then again, who does?
"So, what's under here anyway?" Nero asked as he parked the tarp covered surprise just outside of the great tent, and just a few yards away from the entrance to the circus grounds, where Gryff would soon be making his usual 'kewl' entrance.
"Just a little something the bosses had me whip together." Lin looked up (way up!) at Nero and winked. "To help convince Gryff just how fangtastic the circus can be!"
"So! Are we almost ready?" ]Bartleby Farnum asked as he and Hagetha Mistie approached, both in new, fresh disguises, Farnum the carnival barker and Hagetha, a glamorous sequined outfit with feathers on a headdress (yeah she looked like a shiny, plucked chicken truth be told).
They had just returned with what would most assuredly be the grandest high wire act known to circus folk. Lin saluted at their approach.
"Ready, willing and always able!" Lin shouted, although a twitch under his eye said something was amiss.
Farnum rubbed his palms together.
"Excellent! Then with the addition of that dragon, our set is near completion for opening night!"
Nero proceeded to pull the tarp off, revealing a large, mobile coffin trolley. The top popped open and Lin dumped a bucket of Scaruvian devil coffin beans into it as Hagetha walked around the cart, closely inspecting it. Nero then took his leave and walked away to join in on the pie tossing at Dashner.
"And you're certain this will bring him in?"
"Scabsoutely!" Lin beamed with confidence. "Gryff knows his coffin drinks!"
And with that bold statement, Lin reached over and trned it on, and the coffin started to peculate.
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:43 pm
Gryff pulled his scarf up and folded it high around his neck in a perfect casual knot. Lin wanting to meet him at the circus was bad enough, but now it was cold and dank on top of everything else. This had better be the beast apology in the world and involve a hot cup of something with four shots of triple roast. A sprinkle of newtmeg or chokory wouldn't be bad either.
The circus rose up before him like a hulking, gaudy weed. Tents of every obscene color of the rainbow were clustered around a big top with no regard for composition. As he got closer, moving dots separated themselves from the visual assault, revealing themselves to be monsters in tacky costumes. Had they no self-respect? How could they let themselves be used as entertainment to line the pockets of some faceless circus corpseporation?
He couldn't hold back a sneer as he watched the tentacled ghoul that has invaded his catacombs wobble past on a unicycle. Typical. No taste at all. She probably stumbled into that show on accident.
SPLAT!
He stopped.
SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT!
He turned his head and watched as a volley of pies hit a clown right in the face. Each time he wiped one off a new one smacked him from another angle. The werechicken could barely keep up as the banana cream bits exploded onto him.
Ok, maybe the circus wasn't all bad.
In fact, he swore he could smell some freshly brewed coffin. He walked towards the enticing aroma. Yes, this was the good stuff, Scaruvian if he knew his coffin beans. And Gryff most certainly knew his coffin beans.
"Alright, Lin, where are you?" he muttered as he followed the scent.
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:44 pm
Marceline indeed smiled at the sight of her friend from her corner of the freakshow. Candles flickered around her, casting a dim glow across her freshly-painted face.
"Dashner, m'dear beastie... I predicted you'd come around t'see me!" Marceline giggled slyly. "Come closer, darlin'... have a seat with me!" She motioned to the plush cushions on the other side of her table. As he made himself comfortable, Marceline idly shuffled a deck of brightly colored cards; the gold-leaf lining glistened in the candlelight as she cut the deck once, and then again.
Marceline slid her crystal ball aside, not noticing the desperate flashes of red emanating from within the fog, and slid the cards over to Dashner for him to shuffle. "Care for a tarot readin', Dash? On the house, o'course..."
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:50 pm
"Ugggggh." Atomica couldn't help but add her own commentary track to this particular excursion. No, she wasn't invited. No, she didn't care. If Gryff was going, so was she. "My olfactory sensors smell kitty litter and burnt popscorn. GEE-ROSS."
Atomica trailed behind Gryff and put her hands on her hips.
"WHERE is Lin? I want to tell him how much he stinks even worse than this odor of sawdust and rotten scream pies and go back home."
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:58 pm
Gryff ignored Atomica's complaints. Her system wasn't coffin-compatible, she didn't understand. Even under the stench of unwashed tent canvas and burn scaramel, he could still find that enticing thread of roasted coffin beans.
"We'll be in an out in no time. Lin can apologize on the way home so that we don't have to stay here too long. Just long enough to find him and get a drink."
Someday he and Lin would find a coating for her internal mechanics that didn't corrode when it came into extended coffin-contact. But Lin would have to apologize first.
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:59 pm
"GRYFF!"
Lin waved enthusiastically as ever, shouting to get his hero's attention.
"Over here!"
Lin was all smiles as it seemed as if it had been an unlifetime since he had laid eyes on the ghoulest monster at Monster High, and what a surprise! Atomica was with him! His two beast bluddies!
"What is she doing with him!?" Hagetha hissed to Farnum as Lin looked positively ecstatic.
"The Trouble Tribe, together again!" Lin smiled as Farnum waved a portable fan behind the coffin trolley, blowing the scent twards Gryff.
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:03 pm
"The Trouble...Duo is more like it!" Atomica booted up her sass subroutine. "Because there's only TWO tribe members my ocular sensors indicate here! Two tribe members and one....are you supposed to be a clown?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:07 pm
"Correction, my dear!" Bartleby stated as he approached her and plaed an arm around her shoulder. "He's a clown in progress! Working to help make this circus the grandest it can possibly be! Now please..."
He started to lead her aside.
"Perhaps I might show you some of the sights?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:08 pm
The corners of Gryff's scowl twitched, as if they were trying to break into a smile, but he kept them tightly controlled.
"Lin. I see you at least didn't forget how to brew. Do you have any idea how hard...your skunk is taking your ridiculous defection to this idiotic pile of ribbons and popcorn? And what are you wearing? Is that factory produced, high-pollution polter-ester?"
He stopped just short of the coffin trolley as he spotted Farnum. Gryff's upper lip curled into a perfect sneer, his eyes narrowing. His hand had been out-stretched, ready to accept a freshly dripped beverage with just a hint of foam, now he pulled it back a few inches.
"Is that a normie? I should have known why this place was so tasteless."
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:09 pm
"Pft. Like I'd like to see your dumb circus for lame mon-wait." Atomica turned her head and scanned Farnum up and down. "Don't I know you from somewhere?..."
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:24 pm
"Awww! Don't be like that Gryff ol' buddy!" Lin protested. "The boss is really an A-OK Joe! Heh. Get it? Coffin? Joe?"
Lin pointed at Gryff and clucked his tongue with a wink. Hagetha then approached the little gremlin, her hand on a hidden lever.
She said, "It's understandable, having an affinity toward normies. Perhaps if you'd care to serve yourself instead?"
"But Gryff never serves himself... ouch!" Lin yelped as Hagetha stepped on his foot to silence him.
She waved Gryff to come closer.
"This time is special." She stated with a ghastly smile. "Please. Treat yourself young manster."
Gryff looked from Hagetha, to the coffin machine, then to Lin. he sighed dramatically with that added roll of the eyes, before he started to step forward.
It was like it happened in slow motion.
Lin watched Gryff take that first step and he winced, and his teeth ground together. His blackish-gray skin broke into a cold sweat.. the twitch under his eye sharpened when something inside of him snapped.
He shook his head and his eyes widened.
"Gryff! Don't!"
Hagetha looked down at the gremlin in shock when he stomped hard on her foot.
"OWWW!" The witch shrieked, grabbing her foot and toppling over. "My candy corns!"
"Run!"
Atomica's head whipped around at the cry of Lin.
Gryff watched in stunned surprise as Lin immediately took off in a sprint towards him! What was happening!? Lin always ran right for Gryff when he was in trouble. he knew Gryff would protect him!
"You miserable little traitor!"
Hagetha shrieked and whipped out her wand and aimed it right at Lin! Right before Gryff's eyes, her wand flashed and Lin was immediately trapped in a bird cage two sizes two small!
"Gryff! Atomica! RUN!!"
And Hagetha raised her wand towards them next...
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:34 pm
The vicious beast-kitten was truly upsetting Vanissha. Only days away form their grand debut and this foul creature was not listening to anything Vanissha said.
"SIT!" She demanded, cracking her whip. It was a basic command this silly little, frighting thing could not fathom!
The little kitten simply pounce at the end of the whip trying to bite it and control it like a master!
"Ahh!" It was horrifying!
But Vanissha pulled through and tried to teach it something... At least she could pretend that this was part of the trick. Yeah... Maybe that could work... sweatdrop
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:18 pm
Defying all possibility, Gryff's eyes managed to narrow even further until they were two slits of pure focused anger. He kept flexing his talons, unsure if he should make a fist or a rude hand gesture.
"That's MY germlin, you bloated corpseporate shill."
"I'm not a shill, I'm in charge!" Hagatha shrieked.
A spell flew out of the witch's wand and Gryff deftly fearouetted out of the way, years of muscle memory taking over. He did a hitchkick, grabbed Atomica and dipped her below another spell. A burst of light whizzed overhead and hit a passing pie. The pie, now in a cage, dropped to the ground like a stone before it could hit Dashner.
Gryff started doing chaînés towards the trolley.
Hagatha tried throwing another spell at them but Gryff and Atomica were spinning too fast and she couldn't manage to hit them. Each time he faced the witch he whipped his iCoffin up and snapped a picture.
FLASH! spin FLASH! spin FLASH! spin.
A wave of spells turned a nearby tent into a pile of pies, which promptly fell on Dashner.
"ARG! Get him, Farnum! You're the one who wanted him so badly" Hagatha shouted, rubbing her temporarily blinded eyes.
Gryff finally reached the coffin trolley and put Atomica down. Farnum advanced on them.
"You troublesome brats, you're not getting away."
Atomica and Gryff looked at one another and then coffin trolley. They nodded smugly. Atomica booted up the SKRM 2.0 program and with a click her skates extended.
"We, like, totally are!" Atomica shouted gleefully, skating away.
Gryff stood back with his arms folded. Hagatha, still blinking furiously, now joined Farnum and together they walked towards Gryff.
"We? Looks like she isn't going to bother with you. It doesn't matter, we didn't want her anyway," Farnum said smuggly.
"We'll still have to catch her so she doesn't tell everyone."
"We'll still have him, she won't be a problem."
Gryff watched them coolly.
"Is that what you think?"
Now he relented and let himself smile, baring his fangs. At top speed behind him Atomica reappeared, and with a maneuver that once brought down the entire Vamp High SKRM B squad during the regional SKRM picnic party, powered into the coffin trolley.
The trolley, a massive iron and brass affair, rocked hard upwards, unbalance by the massive blow. It teetered precariously on one wheel as coffee sloshed out of the top of the boiler.
"Looks like you've got a problem."
And with that Gryff gave the trolley one final hoofed kick, sending it toppling over. A wave of fresh hot coffin rose up and washed Farnum and Hagatha backward.
"GET HIM~AARRRRRRRGGGBrblrbrblrbrl!"
"You stupi-argggbrbrbrbrlll...."
The other monsters, who had been watching the show in stunned silence now snapped into formation at Farnum's last order. With talons, claws, tentacles and feathers all reaching for for Gryff and Atomica, they advanced from all directions, sloshing through the sludge of mud and pipping coffee.
"You'll love the circus, bro, it's the beast workout you'll ever get."
"Yes, I predict you'll have a wonderful time!"
"There's lots of scenery to paint!"
"You get all the pie you cou~" whap!
Gryff rolled his neck and stretched his wings.
"Time for a stylish exit."
"FINALLY, it's going to take, like, days to buff this stupid smell off me and that normie actually touched me. Gag me with a wrench."
He grabbed Atomica around the waist and flew towards Lin, grabbing the top of the cage. He struggled upwards but it was too heavy, he couldn't take them both.
"Sorry Lin, but don't worry about it. This isn't over."
He let the cage drop and flew up out of the circus.
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Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:45 pm
Marceline LaGhede "Care for a tarot readin', Dash? On the house, o'course..."
Following her orders, Dashner shuffled the cards before sliding them back over to Marceline."Nice to see you again," he said simply.
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Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 3:24 pm
Marceline placed her hand over Dashner's briefly before sliding the deck of cards away from him.
"Likewise." She smiled again. "I missed fanging out with you! I predict we'll be doing a lot more of it now that we're in the circus together."
She carefully turned over the first card and laid it out between them. A heart with three swords plunged into it, against a dreary storm backdrop, revealed itself to them, Marceline winced a bit.
"Three of Swords... Hmm. This card repr'sents your past, see? And what it's tellin' me is... Y'gave away your heart and you were r'jected, and now y'left with a lot of pain an' bitterness. The truth bein', you made a choice without considerin' the risks an' got hurt; now y'must learn from that hurt and move on. "
She wrinkled her nose a bit, sensing all too well what that card was implying as she turned over the next card. Seven goblets with colorful whimsy pouring from them as a silhouetted monster looked on in awe.
"Seven of Cups reversed, in your present. Repr'sents illusion an' wishful thinkin'. You're retreatin' from your problems into a fantasy world an' that's all well an' good for now, but soon y'gonna have to face your fears dead-on."
Marceline paused thoughtfully, looking over her beastie as he took in the information. She turned over the third and final card. A werewolf sitting beneath a tree with three goblets in front of him, and a fourth being extended to him in the claw of an unseen monster.
"Ah! Four of Cups in your future!" Marceline declared giddily. "Y'see this one here is a r'minder not to take unlife for granted. Sometimes y'think a change has to be made, but in all act'ality everything is fine just as it was. Retrace your clawprints and try to pick up where you left off, but a little wiser for the wear perhaps."
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