Carnaval de la Vie

[KhaoticBliss]

Tuesday, May 3



Tuesday was turning out to be a mighty busy day at the Kiss and Tell Booth. It seems a certain dedicated fan had been helpfully spreading the word and singing the booth's praises everywhere he went, which drew a long and... most unfortunate... line of participants.

A particularly...remarkable individual... asked for Saila by name. Saila, politely, asked what 'Saila' might look like.

"Well," the man said, or rather slobbered, "she's s'posed t'got purple hair...is you her?"

Having prepared in advance for just this particular situation, the towering teen snagged her dear friend Jackie (sorry Jackie!) by the shoulder and dropped a purple wig on her head.



"Here you go!" Saila exclaimed cheerfully, pushing Jackie towards the most peculiar-looking gentleman. "This must be her."

The muse tried very hard to convince Cane to call their enthusiastic fan off, but no dice. The flood of unfortunates continued.

Well, money's money, right?

Thankfully, Dris came to the ladies' aid, bearing lovely flower crowns as gifts. "Oh thank the gods, Dris. No amount of glitter in the world can fix what Sal's done to us. We need more Bard kisses, please!"

The Bard, it's said, was all too happy to oblige. Saila was so grateful she  even kissed the bird.  

Later in the day (but not before Saila had attempted to throw her other friend under the bus, too, trying to convince another ...interesting.. individual that what he thought he'd heard, 'tall with purple hair' was actually 'small with pink hair', because pink and purple were so similar so it was an easy mistake to make, y'see?), the girls were rescued again, this time by a lovely gent Saila and Keirra had met at the Beltane Fire Lighting, where the three of them had answered the challenge to jump over the fire together. She grinned at Benjamin's  charming words, most grateful to kiss somebody who looked they might've actually showered today for the first time in more than an hour.

"My hero," she told him after leaving her lipstick print on his face. She didn't explain why.

[Jackie Von Tombs]

Fate's Nasty Bra-money!  So that was what was going on, Salvador passing around the word about Saila!  Jackie was starting to wonder if people just knew her Mum!  She would have her Reven...  

Then she was wearing a purple wig.  Jackie considered.  She added the flower crown Dris brought, what a sweety!  After some thought, she pulled on a pair of sky-high heeled black knee boots, and returned to the fray as Saila ver. 2.  

"Benjamin!"  She cheered, gladly selling the actor a kiss.  

Once he held out his hand to have his palm red, she quickly snagged up a tube of sparkly red lipstick and drew a big heart on it.  

Tada!  

"You will have a shining heart to show around,"  Jackie prophesied sunnily.

[Keirra Owens]

Oh how she'd cackled at Saila's antics with Jackie--that was until later in the day when Saila shoved Keirra towards the monstrosity. "I can't I'm pregnant!" she said, planting her heels and scooting across the floor with defiance. Then yes, there was another hero, and when Saila took her leave to go thank him, she fell back on her little bum. Hair clung to her lips and she looked up at Saila with puffed out cheeks.

Picking herself up, she looked up at the man. "Oh yes... Yes, I read fortune. You come, come! Sit!" Across from him, she took his hand and began examining it with a careful gaze. "Oh yes.. Strong hand," she nodded running her thumbs over his palm that wasn't drawn on by the beautiful Jackie. She made a displeased sound and then moved for her crystal ball. "Ahh... I see very good luck in future, yes.. Good fortune and beautiful women and handsome men will flock to you like bird and bread..." A nod, because she knew he wasn't buying it, but hell if she wasn't good at reading people!

[Mark Low]

Monday, May 2nd

"It's naht everyday a King gives a Queen a dragon fer Beltane," Mark said with a smile tah Grace as he opened the bagged paper lantern he jist bought at one o' the kiosks. It were a bit comical dat she were the one havin' tah carry the thing jist then cause it kinda made the large dragon look like it was hovering with two tiny feet shuffling under it.

The paper lantern was taken outta tha bag and constructed. There was only a few pieces of metal and it weren't that hard tah put tahgether. It were gettin' late sah more and more people were puttin' them tahgether fer a send off. Kinda felt like a bunch of crouched fireflies waiting tah jump. The lantern fluffed up like a bird trying tah get warm when the wires tightened. Mark smiled ovah tah her and called, "Put Puff down and come 'ere fer tha send off. I got it put tahgether."

The evening had dawned and der was tha lights o' the carnival and everythin' else goin' on. People was gettin' restless tah let them go. Mark reached in his back pocket and pulled out a kinda squished pack of cigarettes dat also got a lighter in it. The flint o' the bic made a grind and flip noise two or three times and then the center part o' the lantern blossomed intah light. Holdin' it by tha side Mark stood up and din grinned down tah her.

He saw that people were startin' tah let their lanterns gah tah light up dah sky befer one could see tha stars.

"Happy Beltane, love." And like dat, his hand loosened up, feelin' the paper of the lantern skim his hand as it rose. His head turned and when he kissed her, he held it til the light o the lantern was far off from them.

[Benjamin Piers]

"...Thanks, Jackie,"  Benjamin noted, amused, to his heart-y palm.  To Saila, well, he was confused, but he accepted the thanks graciously as the kiss.  He may have started to say something, but Keirra had his hand and towed him off for a reading.  His head tilted, and lips twitched when she gave her foretelling.  

Flock to him like bird and bread...?  He grinned, and that turned to laughter.  Did she know or was she psychic?  

He hung about for a while and played bouncer for the girls, but then pulled off his shirt, and unfolded wide, powerful wings the colour of the storm, gray, white, black.  

"I will see you later, ladies, I do believe I shall go and find a bard to share some bread with,"  he assured them before taking flight.

[Lyall British]

Monday, May 2nd

Lyall was thirty five when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the carnival. It was impossible for him not to stare at it and smile in a happy, rueful way. The memory of a carnival not too long ago-- or was it very long ago?-- came to mind. Carnivals had a way of being magical and disenchanting in one fell swoop. He wasn't entirely aware that he was already leaning his weight towards the event while he stared.

He wore glasses that were scratched, one of the screws at the side had been hastily replaced with the broken end of a cocktail sword. The scruff on his face had hints of grey. He had to lean more of his weight on his cane these days. Still, his step was not an old man's shuffle as he entered the carnival and marveled at the lights, the sounds and the laughter. Lyall wore coats, and vests with an ascot that matched. His clothes were nice but heavily worn. He wore a tallest top hat that was scuffed and maybe, at one time, burned. On slightly more disheveled days he looked homeless, which wasn't entirely untrue.

Fortunes were being told? That caught his interest and he smiled, making his way over to the fortune telling area and waiting for a turn, if necessary, to be read. It was difficult to know who was familiar with such contrast of light and dark around him. It kept feeling like all he saw of people passing were snippets of their faces.

[JewellRavenlock]

Wednesday, May 4th

Jewell and Sapphire went to Le Carnaval de la Vie to catch the Vivant Showcase; they were super excited to see Lirssa (and Sapphire didn?t mind ogling Cane). Sapphire guilted Jewell into going on a few rides too while they were there. When Jewell departed to participate in Diamond Days, the teen stayed to hang out at the carnival.

[Claire Gallows]

On Wednesday, after hitting up the Beltane hair braiding booth and spending the morning picnicking and berry picking, Claire and the kids hit up the Vivant Showcase.

[Canaan]

Wednesday. May 4th, 2016


On the day of the performance, Cane arrived early to the carnival with Salvador. He stopped by the Kiss & Tell booth to deliver a box of beignets from a shop in town and a thermos of piping hot coffee. The good kind. Keirra and Jackie would have to fight Saila to the death if they wanted her to share said coffee because chances were she tried to hide it as soon as he handed it over. He wished the girls luck for the day and then disappeared into the main tent where he remained for the rest of the day.

In the hours preceding the showcase, several circus performers wandered the fair grounds, stirring up excitement for the main event.








[size=18]~Vivant Showcase~[/size]

Ex-Governor Emcee Extraordinaire Sheridan Driscol introduces each of the night?s main performances:

Eric Cross- Aerial Pole
Ziva Segev- Aerial Hoop
Canaan Devillier - Cyr Wheel
Chet & Lynielle Adagio - Acro
Lirssa al Amat - Handbalancing
Gavin Pleasant - Solo-Equilibre
Lirssa al Amat & Canaan Devillier - Straps Duo


After the show, the cast members will be available to chat with the public. Canaan stuck around to hug some people and shake hands, chat with folks about his vision for Vivant, as well as schmooze a few bigwigs. As the clock drew closer to 9 PM, he invited any and all to join him in participating in Diamond Days at the Outback.

[Jackie Von Tombs]

(Cont. From Monday and Lyall's Post)

Jackie cheerfully greeted Lyall, and announced she would read his glasses.  Because they were broken, and this bugged Lil Miss Can't Be Wrong in ways she couldn't explain.  So, she would quickly repair the glasses, crack and all, without explaining her methods, hands out of sight.  

Though, the frames might seem a lot newer once they were returned...  

"I foresee not rapping into walls and a lot of reading,"  Jackie chirped happily.  ...She kind of sucked at fortune telling.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday

Beignets!!  Jackie cheered when she saw them, but upon seeing Saila horde the coffee, she wisely gave up her claim on the Thermos.  

Jackie showed up in kerpoof of black taffeta ballet dress, carrying along platform heels and tying her hair up just in case she would have to portray Saila Ver. 2 once more.  

Lunchtime, though, Jackie would briefly vanish, and return with a couple of boxes of In-N-Out cheeseburgers and fries.

[Grace Low]

Wednesday, May 4th


Grace left the Hair or Dye booth at the Beltane Open Air Festival a little early today to meet up with her not-King, eager to check out the Vivant Showcase she'd been hearing about from her Braiding Bar patrons all day. After the show, they stopped by Kiss and Tell to say hello and maybe get some smooches from the girls, and then probably went to gorge on more festival food. Because festival food.

[Eden Parker]

Eden was not going to miss Cane and Lirssa in the Showcase!  After spending the afternoon at the Beltane Open Air Festival, she made her way over to Carnaval to catch the show.  Her only stop on the way was to get herself a bag full of fresh beignets (which she still pronounced 'baynays').

Her applause and enthusiasm for the acts was loud, and at the end of Lirssa's and Lirssa and Cane's performances, she released a shrill whistle.  Since she had come by herself, she made sure to tell everyone who was sitting near her, "I KNOW THEM!"

[Lirssa Sarengrave]

After a morning spent in meditation, she was at the amphitheater by midday.  The sheer delight in anticipating the performance cast any sense of calm mind the meditation had created right out.  The electric feeling -- the safe kind -- zipped through her.  Stretching with the other performers, they shared stories of past shows, laughs about the tricky parts of their routines, and a few hidden snickers at how often their boss was sneaking off to take smoke breaks.  "Be the best for him, yeah?"  Lir smiled to the others.  "And for yourselves.  This is the night."

In the wings, she retraced her routine, like a map in her mind following each twist and turn.  The nervousness was pitched perfect, just enough to make her energy lift and sharpen her awareness.  She was not going to fail Canaan.  

When the show was done, Lirssa managed to find some familiar faces such as Eden and Sapphire to give hugs.  She remained longer than others to speak with audience members about the performances, Vivant, and the hopes of the venture.  As much as she wanted to visit with friends at Diamond Days, she had one very compelling reason not to go.

Besides, there was the carnival to visit again.

[KhaoticBliss]

Wednesday, May 4th



Heavy crowds for three days straight had begun to wear on the the purple haired Energizer Bunny, and Saila was seen leaving the Carnaval Grounds when her shift ended in the wee hours of Wednesday morning behind the wheel of a midnight blue '65 Coup deVille.

She was back onsite in time for her Wednesday shift, arriving in that same gorgeous muscle car. Feeling much restored and decompressed, the girl practically skipped back to the booth, where she greeted her fellow kissing fortune tellers with a bright smile.

A short time later, Cane arrived with ...some breakfasty thing Saila didn't entirely understand even though she'd seen it before, and ohmigod it's Sal coffee!! The teen pounced, stealing the thermos for herself and immediately shoving it into her bag, whereupon she said "Thank you" probably a dozen times in French and probably even threw her arms around the Cajun. While she was hugging him, she may or may not have whispered something along the lines of how excited she was for him, but it's highly doubtful anyone else heard.

Though most of the day was spent puckering up on command and spitting out corny fortunes, at 4:45 p.m. sharp, a closed sign was placed in the front of the booth.



On a piece of paper taped to the sign, a handwritten note had been scrawled in purple sharpie:

[size=18]What are you doing here?
Go see the Vivant Showcase!
We'll be back afterwards![/size][/b]

Saila drug her partners in kissing crime, Jackie and Keirra, off to the center tent with her to watch the show, claiming seats near the front. She sat in rapt attention, cheering for all the acts and even the emcee (...but perhaps whistling particularly loudly for her favorite Warlock with her fingers in her mouth during and after his solo). A low-voiced comment about Scrapbook Material might have been overheard in its transmission to Keirra after Gavin Pleasant's act.

After the final duet performance by Cane and Lirssa, the purple haired muse was undoubtedly on her feet for a standing ovation, her shrill whistle sounding high among the rest of the applause. When she found the Cajun afterwards, there's an extremely likely chance that she threw her arms around him for the second time that day and maybe even kissed his cheek. Probably she said something ridiculous about him being amazing that he brushed off with his trademark ain't no'ting, but the girl was for sure undaunted.

All too soon she would be melting away from the crowd again, though, leaving him to schmooze with his investors as she collected her ladies and returned to their booth. Touching up her lipstick after she took down the signs, Saila was practically buzzing with enthusiasm and excited energy for her mentor's success, ready to take on the evening tide of would-be smoochers.

[Delahada]

Wednesday. May 4, 2016.

As previously mentioned, Salvador arrived at the Carnaval in the Cajun's company. When Cane stopped off at the at the Kiss & Tell, however, the Spaniard did not accompany him. He instead drifted off somewhere nearby to wait for him to conclude his business there, and then rejoined him for a stroll through the grounds. For the length of all that time he was dressed plainly in his usual torn jeans and nothing special tee-shirt style.

About an hour or so before the show, he departed to fetch himself a songbird and some other items. Together, Aoife and Salvador attended the showcase, seated right up front in a specially reserved section set aside just for Coterie members. This spared the whole lot of social anxiety sufferers from losing their s*** entirely and allowed them to enjoy the show.



After the performance, they stuck around to admire the Cajun in his other native environment. See also: socializing. They presented Lirssa with a bouquet of orchids that included a note card with a message handwritten by Sal himself.  The Spaniard had one hell of a kiss reserved for Canaan as well, and a bouquet of bacon roses instead of actual flowers.



Salvador waited around in the wings until the Cajun was done socializing, shaking hands and receiving his congratulations. Then he whisked Cane off to have some fun beating on people at the Outback for Diamond Days. Aoife melted away to do songbird things when no one was looking.