Taegan drapped his arm across Jaq's shoulders, nodding to the two people he once called friends.

"Well hi you two! Didn't imagine to find you here. Nice shindig yeh?" He eyed Dorian for a moment, before turning his head to Jaq, leaning over to nuzzle her neck briefly. Straightening, he sighed in a content sort of way. Dorian could see right through him, it was all fake. He was trying to make Calli upset, showing her he had already moved on from his little crush on her. The brown haired teen squeezed Calli's arm and smiled, ignoring the blonde boy.

"You know what we need. Alcohol. Where is that rainbow guy? Oooh look! Fire!" He pointed to the close burning, pitch soaked torches pushed into rings on poles. Letting go of the girl, he took two and hefted them testingly in his hands. Then with a little silent count in, he started to juggle the two flaming torches, watching carefully, a half grin on his face. The fire made a sort of whomp noise as it swooshed through the air. Throwing both torches up high behind his back, Dorian watched them sailing through the air, catching them as they came down and holding them up in a victory stand. Putting them back into the holders, he made a mock bow at Taegan, then made his way to the nearest vendor he could find, watching out for Warwick on the way.

Taegan scowled at the boy momentarily, before shrugging.

"Once a show off, always a show off I guess." Now Calli was Dorian-less, his bravado increased. Almost sneering at her, he tore his gaze away to look at Jaq.

"All that fire stuff is just lame. Being as beautiful as you are is something to be amazed at." He grinned and nudged her nose with his own, testing the waters. Being slapped in front of Calli was just too much right now.

Calli was sad to see Dorian go but the sight of him juggling fire set her heartbeat racing. He was amazing! She giggled as he walked away, pleased as punch.



Calli snorted at Taegan.

"He's not a showoff, you mung toft." How dare he insult her hama! "You're the one who struts off in a sulk whenever you don't get yer way. You shouldn't be such a jerk to your friends."

Calli growled, hooking her elbow through Giana's.

"Let's go look for the bar, the air stinks around here." Calli made a tribal gesture at Taegan. "Come have a drink with us later, Jaq."

Calli included the invitation so that Jaq wouldn't feel left out but understood that she would probably prefer to stay and dance with Taegan. Calli couldn't stand spending another moment near him.

"Aye, sure is! The whole festival's one benny party!" The girl said, grinning from ear to ear.

Jaq's body involuntarily stiffened when Taegan's arm went around her, and her breath caught in her throat when his face touched her neck. Sure he was cute, and absolutely she'd give anything to be his girl, but he'd never shown any intereste in her until now. I just don't understand, she thought. He's always been interested in...the slight confusion began to show--just barely--in Jaq's eyebrows.

Jaq grinned openly at Dorian. She'd always loved it when the boys showed off together in front of the girls; it was like getting their own free circus performance and not having to rehearse first. She watched the boy as he deftly tossed the flaming torches high into the air, catching and releasing with skill, and clapped a little when he was done.

The gears that had started turning moments before were begining to click into place. "Oh, I dunno, I think it's pretty neat. I'da burned myself twelve times before I'd even picked those torches up," she said with an uneasy giggle. The compliment threw her off guard, as did the nose nudging. This isn't the kinda thing a guy does to a girl on a whim, she thought. This doesn't feel right at all. "Taegan, what is the matter with you?" she whispered.

Click. It wasn't just what Calli said, but it was the way she said it that finally put everything in place. Dorian's arms around Calli, the way Taegan sneered at Calli while flirting with herself...it all made perfect sense in its own twisted way.

Jaq shrugged Taegan's arm off her shoulders and pushed herself away from the blonde boy, eyes never leaving his and full of hurt. "Actually, Calli, I'd rather come now than later. You're right, it does smell funny around here, and I ain't stickin' around to find out what's causin' it."

Turning on her heel, she followed Calli and the other girl to the bar.

Poor Gi; he'd left her to play third wheel a little bit. Or maybe fifth, now that more people had appeared...he twisted his way out of the crowd, juggling [but not literally] four or five cups of juice with relative ease. He leaned around her to settle one in Giana's hands, the rest an offering for whoever wanted and needed something that wouldn't leave them wobbling on their feet.

"Ah, my, seems like ye bring the party over, don't ye?" Sadly, he couldn't carry it all and drink at the same time. He was going to have to wait until at least two more cups were plucked from his hands. As the pair of girls headed off, he blinked, puzzled. "...an' I drive'em off..."

"Oh! Warwick! Thanks." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We're not avoiding you." She started speaking a bit more quietly. "Whoever that guy is is being an idiot and bugging Calli." She smiled at him then.
"Care to come with?"
She turned to Calli. "Who is he, by the way?"

Echo grabbed a cup, easing the other boy's load a bit. "mujo ma." He was tempted just to go and find his parents now that Calli was busy, but supposed things might still be interesting.

Taegan was left standing on his own, eyebrows drawn together and stance altogether awkward. He pointed in the direction they all left in.

"Yeah!?" He shouted.

"Well...you...you smell bad!" It was incredibly lame, and incredibly childish, but the boy didn't have a witty comeback. Growling to himself, he turned and shoved his way though the crowd, making his way to the circus camp to sulk with the one girl that seemed to understand him. Clarabelle.

"Sure thing, Jaq." Calli said, ignoring Taegan's closing quip.



Calli's arm was still locked with Giana's and she was seething.

"I work with him, he's in the circus too. He's a complete dick, he punched Dorian in the face for courting me, instead of talking to him about it like a normal person." She made a sign that was like washing her hands. "I'm done with him. He doesn't deserve Dorian as a friend."

She took a cup from Warwick's hand.

"Mujo ma, sorry for the drama..." She said, taking a sip. "I hate that guy..."

"Want me te do something about him?" There was a flash of a smile on his face to show he was joking but -- well, there were also the tattoos, glimpses of them flashing in the neck of his shirt, that might mark him as Black Hand, drifting or no. Sure, his eyebrows peaked in an almost teasing sort of way, but even the fact that he'd thought of the joke...

Ah well. Enough hands freed, he clutched at his own cup so that no owe would steal it away and took a generous gulp. If he drowned the last of his alcohol, the effects might die down.

"Neee..." Calli said, sipping at her drink. "He'd just be glad of the attention."

She was so annoyed that even the music didn't sound as good anymore.

"Hey, does anyone want to go swimming?" She asked, looking around at Echo, Warwick, Jaq and Giana. "There's a bit much of us for dancing, I guess..."

"Oes!" Echo answered a little too eagerly. He could never say no to seeing wet girls.

He downed the rest of his drink and pulled Vroo a bit closer. It was tempting to find his parents cart and ask them to watch his kenser, but his daoa would be angry if he stopped to visit just for that. He reasoned with this big a group, it wasn't likely that Vroo would be able to slip away.

"Aye, I'd like that! I ain't got one of those newfangled swimmin' suits, but I bet I can improvise." Jaq winked obviously at the boys and turned towards Calli. "I say we go for it."






*(Pretend like it's Jaq, ok? I didn't feel like logging out.)*

Dorian came into view then, carrying what might have been steins of mead. Or rather, one full one and one half full one. He grinned stupidly.

"Swimming?! Yeah! We should!" The teens voice was a little louder than normal, but it wasn't arrogant or yawling. His brown eyes swept the camp in the direction they'd come from as he stepped closer to Calli.

"Is he gone again? Oh, hey, Jaq. I guess thats a yes then?" He nodded to the girl, then sighed almost sadly. It didn't have to be like this. If only that stupid fathead would get over himself.



He lit up again and grinned, raising his half drunk mead.

"Aye! Newfangged! Inyoureyes! To the water!"

"Come on, drunky, you're coming with me." Calli said, finally letting go of Giana and taking Dorian's arm. "I have some spare shorts and things in my kint, if you chips don't have any you can borrow mine. They're good enough for swimming."

((Ready for side thread?))

((side thread? is dorian coming?))