Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shen-Ru still wasn't sure why he had chosen this path of life, opting for the struggles of the circus rather than the comfort of a rich life in Gaoling. He had a feeling it was because he felt safer traveling around in the world without any real way to track him than he did sitting in a home he had already been seized from once before.

The boy was currently standing in the doorway of the main tent of the circus, watching as things were being put up slowly but surely for the next few shows they would be putting on in this area. He sighed and stepped out of the way as quickly as possible as more people entered the tent, not knowing if he should be helping or working harder on staying out of the way of those preparing - he was still new to the whole situation, his name still wasn't known by most of the circus, and he hardly knew anything about labor anyway. He was pretty useless... it still amazed him that the Ringmaster had taken him in. But, it would simply be assumed that the Ringmaster had seen something in him that proved to be possibly useful to the circus as a whole.

Fiddling nervously with his somewhat loose and messy braid (no longer was it as pristine and proper as it normally would have been if he were still at home), the poet stepped out of the tent and off to the side, making his way through the circus, watching as it was being built up again for the entertainment that would take place the next few days and nights, or however long they were staying until they moved to another large, or even small, city to give them a few days of reprieve from daily, dreary life.

But what could he do? Shen-Ru frowned a little and stopped, staying off the usual path which things were carried on so as to avoid being tromped over as people traveled to and fro. What could he do? There should have been plenty, and could have been, were he stronger with people, with words, with his body... but he wasn't. His frown deepened. Surely there must be something he could be useful for...

Shen-Ru looked surprised when he was rather abruptly... sort of attacked by an apple. The poet looked at it, then the girl holding it in mild surprise, eyebrows rising. "I'm not much into apples..." he murmured, though he took the fruit anyway, holding onto it loosely. "What did you get?"

Useful things, assuredly.

Augh, he would have to put a stop to these thoughts, right then and there. It was ridiculous that he was so... down.

Shen-Ru inspected the apple before taking a careful nibble of it - his was far used to apples being... caramelized, or made into a treat, or something. Not just... as a raw fruit. The boy made a slight face at the taste of it with the skin on it, before suddenly jumping as his braid was touched, giving Qiao a confused look.

"Uh...? Oh. I suppose it is a mess..." he mumbled, reaching back to touch his braid himself, making a slight face. He thought for a moment, looked at Qiao's hands, then smiled at her, nodding just slightly. "You can braid it again, if you'd like."

Shen-Ru had just opened his mouth to give that very response when Qiao warned him, so he laughed quietly and lowered his gaze, a little embarrassed. "Mm... I'm just having sad thoughts, you know? I'm... not doing a whole lot for the circus. Just being dead weight. But I don't know what I can do... I don't have many talents, beyond poetry."

"An epiphany to my true circus calling?" asked Shen-Ru quietly, watching her skip around in front of him and staring for a moment... before promptly dissolving into giggles, laughing in a way that was certainly not reserved or held back by any polite boundaries. He smiled broadly and shook his head, giving Qiao an amused look. "I suppose I may someday having something like that... we'll have to see."

"Some of my poetry?" asked Shen-Ru as he recovered from the elbowing, rubbing at his side lightly. "I've been writing a little... perhaps I'll let you borrow a few of my scrolls for reading, if I can find some of my better ones. Does that sound all right?"

He stood up straight, then, smoothing out his clothes and sighing in a contented manner. "Qiao... thank you. Really," he mumbled after a moment, glancing up at her. "For making me feel a little better. Even though I highly doubt I could become more famous than Tingzhe."

Shen-Ru chuckled quietly and moved to help her pick up the fabrics, making sure she had a good hold on them. "I suppose that's true, yes... thank you again, Qiao. And be careful. Make sure you don't trip yourself..."

He stepped back so she could make her way to the costume tent, waving a little.

Shen-Ru winced a little when she tripped, reaching out to help her, before laughing a little. "If you're sure... talk to you later, Qiao!" He waved, smiling crookedly all the while.