Shoot for the Moon (Nuri)

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

To Cyril, something seemed a little... Off with her tale. Her curse was a bit odd really; it was like one of those bug repellent sprays encased the entire circus itself. Man, what a sucky ability. Well, her story left one gaping whole that Cyril saw- did her ability just so happen to change to the point that she can't enter the circus? So she had left... What changed to put a force field of a sort around the circus? It obviously was her oddity that prevented her from re-entering. Jello-y air didn't happen alone, so did something change about her? All these questions spun around Cyril's head, but, fortunately for her, he hadn't the patience or the will to question everything.

"Um, okay... That's... Weird..." Cyril's bewilderment and remorse accumulated into a rather uncomfortable feeling, so he decided he needed to brighten up the situation. Maybe just a little bit. "I'll come out a lot, if that helps any. Ironically enough the circus hasn't been as entertaining as everyone makes it out to be... I think it's a lot more fun out here." Cyril gave her a small smile in hopes that it would help. She would probably see him as a conceited asshole, but who gave a sh*t?

At her suggestion, Cyril seemed to suddenly remember that he was apart of the circus. He was gone for a few hours, so did anyone really miss him? Probably not. In a band full of freak shows and monstrosities, a missing pair of conjoined twins probably didn't make a difference. Still, they were hungry and needed to be accounted for during dinner... Would it be a bad thing to leave her out here alone? Maybe it would also be a good time for her to get her nerves situated. She seemed distressed, and a punk-*ss kid probably wouldn't make things better. "Yeah, you're right..." Cyril mumbled to her with a small sigh. He wrapped his arms around his brother and adjusted his bag, looking at her directly the whole time. "But I won't be gone long. Trust me, I can down a cheeseburger in like ten seconds flat. They probably won't even notice that I'm gone, or at least I hope not." He proceeded to walk backwards slowly, gearing himself up for a run. And with a spin on the ball of his foot he took off, turning his head slightly towards her as he distanced himself. "Don't get too comfortable now! I'm gonna beat your *ss again! I'll be back!" He yelled at her as his voice trailed off. In a tone beneath his breath, he looked back to his designation, muttering a small "I promise.".

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

About an hour later, the twins once more took to the beaten down Main Street towards the outskirts of the circus. Not only had Cyril devoured at least one item from every processed meat tray, but both he and his brother had taken a quick shower and changed before heading back out again. Sure, they were just going to get gross and sweaty all over, but Cyril just wanted to pretty much cool his refuting mind while also not feeling so icky at the time being. The two had on torn jeans despite the taste of Lyric, who, at this point in day, was too tired to mind anything that was going on. He himself had on a gray flannel shirt, while his dominant brother now had on an army green hoodie on top of a white graphic tee of some sort. In his free hand he had a newer bat, which, upon closer inspection, possessed the initials of the neighbor next door to the twins.

The chill of the evening had started to make its way to the desert, turning the once arid oven into a chilled dusk. Cyril assumed that the girl wanted nothing more than to get away from the tempting yet forbidden circus as possible. So, Cyril just started to wander through the plains drenched by the setting sun. "Hey! I'm back! Told you I wouldn't be gone for long!" Eh, an hour and a half, but that was good time, right?

[NURI]

Why? A single question with eternal meaning. It wormed it's way into everyone's lives. Whispers and screams. Shock, fear, wonder. Aira had used it every possible meaning. And now? She whispered it in pain. Why was her life how it was? She finally made a friend and he /literally/ ran away from her. Still. He had only turned away from her when he absolutely had to.

Then again, wasn't it common knowledge to never expose the back to enemies or danger?

She honestly didn't expect him to return, and told herself she didn't care. She was telling herself a lot of things that day. Her shoe had reappeared on her little foot, and after she couldn't see Cyril any more she went looking for the ball. At least she would have forever to look.

Thirty minutes in and Aira had found it. She sat down and tossed the ball, almost batting it like a cat. It was a great distraction. She didn't want to think of her lost friend. She didn't want to think of her stupid power. She didn't want to think about anything. And her avoidance worked, her form slipping from sight. It worked even after she could no longer touch the ball, it falling through her non-existant chest and into the dust.

No. Certainly not. Aira shot up, gray eyes almost bright cloud gray. Her form flickered into existance as she focused on the twins, watching them as Cyril wandered through the desert. He had come back. The asshat had actually come back. With a grin she snatched the ball up, near bouncing as she ran after him. "Looking for someone?"

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

After getting a good distance from the campgrounds, Cyril stopped once more to look for the girl. He had nearly jumped when she approached him from behind, but ultimately turned to her with a testy grin. "You'd think I'd come out to this dry *ss desert for no reason?" Cyril remarked in a sarcastic tone, though a lighthearted one nonetheless. He glanced back at the circus, watching the last sum of people depart from the cafeteria building. The sun was setting now, which meant it was going to be dark soon. No matter.

"So, uh, you have anything in mind that you want to do? Neighbor was being an *sshole again. Kept tossing crumbled up paper balls between our torsos, acting like we were a football goal or some stupid sh*t. Long story short he ended up with a black eye and I got one of his good bats this time. If you wanna play again we can." Cyril honestly couldn't care less what they ultimately decided to do. Everything he had done with her previously had just seemed fun... Odd, really, since his true entertainment with other people came from just messing with them and pissing them off. But her... She was different. Cyril didn't like thinking she was special or different from other people, but it was the truth. The thoughts of her gave him a weird feeling, which ultimately led to him pushing his stupid emotions aside.

"We can do something else too. Whatever floats your boat."

[NURI]

This was extremely unexpected! "Oh please. You're not even the right shape for a football goal." And really weren't. Still, that wasn't what had surprised her. Like a good little slave she offered him the ball, the words to leave her lips having just the right hint of edge. "And we can do whatever /you/ want, Master." Because that had been the deal. Last one to reach the tree had to be a slave for the day and she hadn't even gotten to the tree. So Cyril was her master, and since technically Lyric shared half of his body with the more outgoing boy, Lyric had to be obeyed too.

Had Lyric even really spoken to her? She didn't think so. No matter. It wasn't him that she was worried about in all honesty. What kinds of things would Cyril have her do? There was absolutely no telling. "I made the deal and forgot about the barrier. I have to keep it." She didn't want him thinking any less of her because she didn't keep her word.

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

Cyril shrugged nonchalantly and gave off a small chuckle. She had a point, but it was the idiot neighbor's idea, not his. "Well it obviously wasn't my idea. My neighbor's not really the brightest crayon in the box." He might have had an oddity that lent him some brute strength, but his mental capability rivaled that of an ape on pixie sticks. Brushing the thoughts away he caught the ball she tossed, easily allowing the orb to spin on his hand again. The word /master/ had nearly brought forth a rush of adrenaline to his head. Oh, the things he could do now... "Well, minion, I say another game of baseball is in order... So maybe you can show me that you can hit the ball without breaking the damn bat..." Out of nowhere following this statement, a wide grin of deviousness sprawled across his face as he announced his plan.

"So, obviously you can't go anywhere near the circus..." He mused on the thought, tossing the baseball up and down once more. "So, how far away can you get away from it? Cuz I was thinkin..." His little anticipation game quickly switched in favor of a more blunt approach. After all, he was a straightforward kind of guy. "I'm gonna stay out here for tonight, just to let you know. That way we can do whatever the hell we want without having to worry about curfew and those other rules. Plus, I gotta give it a day or so before sh*t-for-brains cools off about this whole knocking-him-smooth-out shindig." His plan was accompanied by another shrug, each gesture reflecting his careless attitude. "Sneakin' out ain't such a big deal for me. Ain't like I got some power that can throw an entire town into crisis." It was true. What was the worst that could happen? He had everything he needed, including medication for his brother. Lyric didn't mind at all taking time for his brother to do as he pleased. He of course was used to it at this point, not to mention that he was the one interfering with his brother's life. He hasn't seen him this happy in awhile, which gave him all the more incentive to agree with what he did.

Cyril just smiled at her acceptance at her loss, his mind not taking account the incident from earlier. "Exactly." He agreed to her final statement while his hands absent-mindedly reached to his 'connection' to adjust his brother, who switched his attention once more. "You're awful quiet, bro. Why? Scared of a little girl?"

With the taunt, Lyric quickly flushed and looked to the ground instinctively. "Oh, um... Sorry..." He replied in a simple mumble, not bothering to speak up.

[NURI]

Minion. She didn't like the sound of that. Minion... It sounded so.... Impersonal almost. And evil, don't forget evil. All the bad guys called their subjects minions. But what was she supposed to do? She very highly doubted that minions were allowed to complain about what they were called. It was whatever though, she really didn't care. She only had to deal with it for a whole day, and it was unlikely he'd be around during the whole time. She didn't exactly have anything to feed him or anything. And if it got too annoying she could focus on disappearing again. It was about time that she learned how to control that.

They were going to play baseball again! For a moment or two she didn't feel so bad about being called minion, the smallest of smirks touched her lips. "You sure about that, boss? I don't think you can handle getting your ass handed to you twice in one day." And then he started talking about staying out here. Just as she had before, a loose bang found it's way into her fingers. "I can go as far away from this place as I please." At least she assumed so. She felt no need to eat and didn't really need to sleep or shelter from the elements. She'd felt no need to leave the immediate area around the circus. But the twins? They needed a warm place to rest their heads. They had one and a half body working on one and a little bit of an immunity system. Things like a cold night or rain would probably make the poor boys sick. Where would they go though? "Sometimes the train isn't completely in the bubble-thing. If it's still sticking out we could sleep in one of the carts, if needed. I crash there every once in awhile." Every never really. He didn't need to know that though.

And then the other brother talked to her. Honestly, it would have been far too easy to forget Lyric existed. "It's just fine. I'm the most terrifying thing out here." she answered with a laugh. She really was though, at least that she had seen. And the whole time at Circo everyone had told her that everything outside of it was dangerous.

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

Cyril cocked yet another smile as she agreed to his challenge. He liked when people didn't back down, even though both sides gave him satisfaction. Though he relished the glory of actual victory, the feeling of empowerment over a coward was good too. Of course not when the opposition was too afraid. Then that would be evil. On any case, Cyril liked their mutual agreement. He tried to think of a place suitable for their little game. Where could they go without them being detected?

"Pft, I got this. I wasn't even /trying/ last time. I swear." He teased with his trademark sneer of false arrogance. With the mention of the train, Cyril got to thinking. The train would be awesome to sleep in. He snuck into the cabins dedicated to the staff one late night following curfew avoidance. Those had mini-showers/bathrooms, convertible seats, luxury interiors, the whole nine yards. That would be perfect. Much better than their usual shoebox room. Now he had to just find a place they could play ball near it. Cyril, despite having the attention span and activity of a squirrel on crack, was lazy in terms of taking the long way with anything. He let Lyric do the thinking.

Following the side comment between the ghost and the parasite, Lyric laughed discreetly. "Well, if that's the case, I'm sure my brother will give you a run for your money." He joked with not an ounce of malice in his voice. His social side started to emerge, something that usually only came with figures of authority and people who were not Cyril's friends. All of Cyril's old friends were too rough and usually used Lyric as a target of ridicule. But this girl seemed a bit different. He couldn't explain it, she just was. Lyric had a good feeling about her and he didn't even know why.

"I believe I saw a good, flat area that is only a few yards away from the tracks... There's no cactuses or rocks either, and it looked like there were bases too." While on most occasions the boy didn't like to disobey the rules, he couldn't help but to aid his brother to make him satisfied. Besides, baseball was safe enough. It was better than him jumping off of a cliff into a trampoline below out of boredom.

"Sounds good enough, right?" Cyril asked the girl with a raise of his brow. He didn't wait for her response as he continued forth. "Leggo then."

[NURI]

Oh look, the twin was actually talking. Not only was he talking, but he was actually being helpful! Clearly a step up. As happy as she was that Cyril's brother seemed to be warming up to her, it kinda stung. The boy's misplaced fear had been kinda amusing. Oh well. She'd just have to beat them again. Certainly that would send them both running.

And she'd be alone again. Maybe not the best plan. But she couldn't just /let/ Cyril win. She was already his slave for a day. What else could he do to her? Yeah. She wasn't going to follow that thought.

Before she could say a word the twins were off, and little Aira was more than happy to follow. "Barely trying, huh? Maybe you're worth my time then." Not that she'd stop playing with him if he sucked. She rather enjoyed his company. He was just as prickly as she was, able to take sass as easily as he gave it. They'd probably banter all night if he didn't need to sleep. And then she'd spend her day thinking about him, preparing herself for the next time she found the boy.

Messing with him was now her favorite thing to do.

"What other sports do you play?" Just incase she broke the bat again, or the ball exploded.

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

Satisfied with himself, Lyric curled up into Cyril, once more latching onto his shoulders with an intent look due to his new job of navigating. He felt a small, throbbing pain begin to collect around the base of his connection, which sort of hindered his thoughts. Though just as he squirmed a bit with discomfort, Cyril casted a glance to him that usually detailed the promise of medicine. Cyril could read Lyric like the palm of his hand, at least physically. Once the twitchy-kind of squirming commenced it was clear that whatever he was hopped on before was wearing off. Without even a second glance Cyril instinctively reached into his bag and plucked out the little orange pill bottle, flipping open the lid and giving Lyric two pills alongside a water bottle that was dangling from the side of the bag. Disdainful at the amount given to him Lyric hastily took the medicine in just a few seconds. Without taking his eyes from the road the dominant twin threw the bottle and canteen into the messenger bag. With that ordeal over Cyril looked back at the ghost with an unchanged facial expression.

"Worth every second." Cyril replied with his tongue stuck out. It was almost like second nature to him to whip out something the moment he dished it out. In fact, that was a game of its own. He was like a cat with a moth, waiting for the split second to pounce after a teasing banter or word of snark. It was... Fun. It was really fun. Back at home, he was so used to the dull seesaw-ing jabs of 'you eat sh*t' and 'no, you eat sh*t'. That took no creativity. That wasn't any fun. This girl had seemingly mastered the art of witty retorts. And Cyril liked that. Cyril liked that a lot. Not only that, but she was pretty energetic as well. All his old friends got too tired too quickly and were downright irritable beyond a certain point in their patience.

Maybe he should have made friends with girls when he was younger, since apparently they were better at not sucking at fun.

Shaking off his immature mindset, Cyril shrugged his lean shoulders. "Eh, I play soccer, ice hockey, occasionally some tennis, volleyball... A whole buncha stuff. I'll play anything as long as it ain't basketball or football. People go ape sh*t over those damn sports." What was she trying to get at with the question? A small smirk rippled across his face as he realized maybe they could do something else, or that she wanted to in the first place. "I can swim, too... I know, weird, but I'm good. We can do that too if you want. The train has heat so I'm not concerned." He offered with a shrug. Though one to talk a lot, for some reason it took a bit of self encouragement to turn to her and throw back a "You?".

Before any potential awkwardness could ensue, Lyric perked up as the train began to near. It was clear on his now drained face that the drugs were kicking in, which was good. Despite his slurred state he noticed that the train was in the exact same spot as it was in his memory. If the three snuck between the first-class caboose and the kitchen car, they would see the field on the other side. Perfect. "Here we are... If you go between the last two carts the field will be on the other side..." Lyric mumbled with a yawn, laying his head on his brother's shoulder.

[NURI]

Lyric was dieing. Aira watched without comment as the parasite twitched I'm pain, then was given some drug or another to calm him. That was... interesting to say the least. Maybe it was not Lyric with the parasitic tendencies, but Cyril. Perhaps in his desire to overcomr his defect he was unknowingly killing his twin. Tragic, a story worthy of Circo. Would Aira ever tell it though? No, of course not. Even if she clued Cyril in now, the damage was done. Lyric would die sooner or later anyway. Poor boy. Poor boys, really.

"I played a little bit of everything when I was in school." She answered honestly. "I got bored pretty quickly. I was an extremely visual learner." Mentioning her skill without outright bragging? Check. "I liked soccer the most back then. Everyone here liked baseball though, so I adapted." Had he figured out her power yet? "My 'magic' power used to be speed. I was the fastest girl alive. Speed was the best power, honestly. Mostly because of you hit something fast enough, you'd hit it hard." Who needed strength when you could do near the same thing with speed? Not to mention her muscles were always well toned.

The drawback was how much food she had to eat. Damn near thanksgiving every single day. And then...well... "My power changed though. I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be. Now I just vanish." Her form was even flickering as she said it. Did she dare explain it? Of course not. He'd go away and never play with her again.

"Still fast enough to beat your a** though." With a laugh she took off running, hopping through the two train carts.

[CYRIL AND LYRIC SULLIVAN]

Cyril listened with interest as the girl explained her past before wandering around the Circo. Funny, really, how careless he was around others describing themselves yet how attentive he was for someone he just met. His brother was also listening, though that was per usual due to the fact that he had already enjoyed the tales of others. Lyric watched a wide smile crack on Cyril's face at the mention of soccer. The boy was not only a baseball enthusiast but at home he was a pro soccer player. The kids who laughed at him, who threw things and flared his ego by taunting him with his mutation, were the ones beneath him in his athletic skills. This girl may not have doubted his skills on a nasty level, but nonetheless he could be fired up. Even if they play baseball. The thoughts dissipated once she mentioned a previous power. He would have called BS but... Eh, why would she lie about something so obscure? "Well, damn. Having super speed musta been sick." How exactly did someone just /lose/ a power though? That didn't make any sense... And it was sort of tragic. Cyril couldn't imagine having his powers stripped from him (if he had any). How did Aira cope with this? And why was her power so drastically different now? "I..." He was nearly readying himself an apology for sympathy, but then she was running.

Cyril chased after her, giggling fiendishly. Both his brother and him ducked under the train hook simultaneously, his brother significantly less flexible. He saw that she had met the field first, though since it wasn't an official race he had dismissed it. Now they could settle the dispute from earlier. Lyric wished he could play with the two, or at the very least not get in the way of them while they play. It couldn't be helped though, right? Once they got to the field, the bags were put down. "Alright, ya gonna throw first or go up to bat?" He asked while rummaging through the duffel bag. He pulled out a better bat, a baseball, and a umpire mask. That was so that Lyric didn't have his face bashed in. "Here Lyr." Cyril grumbled as he handed the gear to the weaker. Lyric quickly slipped it on. A yawn escaped from him as the effects of the medicine began to kick in. What he took was powerful, and, though it temporarily took his pain, sapped his already depleted energy. Cyril paid attention to his by locking him onto his shoulders a bit harder. Once Cyril had eased him to a good position, the death grip would ensure that he was going nowhere. "Ready to get your *ss kicked a second time?"