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Closed Masque Carnivalia

Connor went with Celest into the tent, glancing around at the dark tent. He could hardly see anything aside from the rough contour of the cage. And then Celest screamed.

She ran out of the tent before Connor knew what was happening. He could only twist his head in a few directions, saying, "What, what's going on?" He ran back out of the tent, following Celest closely.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong? No, that's a dumb question." He figured that Celest at least understood the question he was trying to get across. He locked his fingers with hers as he peered back into the dark tent, his unattentive mind completely missing Kiara.
 
Celest stared at Connor for a long while after he locked his fingers with hers before she buried her face in his shirt, shivering. She hoped the haunting image of Logan would soon fade away, but it wasn't disappearing soon enough. "Oh, Connor, he... he..." She took in a deep breath of air, but still found herself speechless. She exhaled her shaky breath and snuggled her head under his neck, her breath becoming choppy at the thought of what may of happened in that tent.

The Lucario girl was choked up, far beyond getting the rest of her sentence out. Celest timidly clung to his chest as she forcefully closed her eyes, shaking even more. "He... He..." She felt her eyes become irritated from the tears she cried earlier, and hoped she wouldn't break down again over this. Butterflies began to flutter around in her stomach, and she felt more light-headed by the second.
 
So, Logan was in the tent? Well that seemed simple enough. Annie had wanted to meet up with the strange, stubby man again anyways. She jumped a little when Celest suddenly ran out with the confused Connor closely behind her. Poor girl couldn't get more than a word out. She sighed, then stepped around the couple, into the tent.

It was dark. Far too dark for her to see anything, much less the hulking frame no doubt curled up in the cage. But she felt no need to feel fear. Logan, in the brief time she had spoken to him, seemed to be a thinker more than anything to Annie. And if something did happen to pull at her dress, she'd kick its ass. Simple as that.

He fingers found a few bars to the cage, and she blinked in an attempt to adjust to the darkness. Her right hand wrapped around a bar, while her left played with a strand of hair that had fallen from her bun. "You never gave me a chance to thank you for pointing me in the right direction. So thank you, Logan." She wondered if he'd think it was wierd she knew his name despite the lack of introduction. "I'm Annie. Well... Annabelle, but that sounds stupid."
 
Logan had just been contemplating taking a bite out his palm whenthere was a scream, whichsounded like Celest, and then some quiet. He perked hisears up a little to see if he could hear why theywere here in the first place,but he could not. He began at his hand again when someone began to talk with him. They introduced themselves as Annie, or rather Annabelle, but she thought that sounded dumb. This was the person he had helped in the woods just somehours ago. Annabelle was her name, was it? Logen thought it was a beautiful name. Feeling guilty, Logan looked at his hand again. He gave a bit of a sigh, abd said, "Annabelle doesn't sound dumb, it's actually kind of cute. And about the forest, it was nothing. I'm always willing to help."

Logan's hand began to sting as he said these things. His warm blood seemes to get hotter as he spoke to Annie. What was he feeling? It wasn't like himself to get over someone this quickly.
 
Celest blinked in confusion as Annie made her way into the tent. And to think the Lucario girl's shriek was a good enough sign not to enter. Nonetheless, Celest heard the two engaging in a small conversation. The Fighting Carnie lifted her head from Connor's chest and stared at the tent. ... Did... Did she maybe just hallucinate what she saw? Annie didn't seem to notice what Celest had seen. So that only meant two things: either it never happened or it is yet to reach Annie's eyes.

... But it was perfectly reasonable to say that Celest was hallucinating. She heard somewhere that people that lived through psychical and mental abuse as a child were more likely to get schizophrenia... and that was when people heard voices and saw things that wern't there, right? Celest couldn't be sure, but that seemed to fit her. Yes, that's what all this was. She was a schizophrenic freak! Nothing more, nothing less. ... But then she would be hearing voices, too. ... Right? Bah, this was all too confusing.

Okay, solution: I just imagined what I saw, Celest reasoned at last, exhaling a shaky breath. What I saw... wasn't real. I'm just a bit queer in the head, that's all there is to it... Celest rubbed her face with the back of her hand and took Connor's arm, slowly going back toward the tent. If two people she knew were in there, it would be alright. ... Then again, Annie was there... and she still scared Celest. I second-guess far too much...
 
Kiara was in the tent with the four, barely conscious in the dark. With her remaining thoughts, she started to think about the light. Was it the sun that made her wander in the tent? Or did someone just make a projection of that place, ultimately making her walk into the tent? Could be.

She noticed two figures, blurred in the darkness. One was laying their head on the other's shoulder. Celest and Connor! Kiara, with all of her willpower, started to speak. "C-c-celest...C-c-connor...."
 
Annie frowned at Logan. Who was he to say what her name was? No, wait, she couldn't get angry about that, could she? It was opinion. But that didn't mean she had to agree with him.

Maybe she was supposed to be flattered. Something she wasn't particularly used to. "Well, I think it's dumb." She pulled back a few strands of hair from her face. "But thank you for saying so." She bit her lip awkwardly. She hardly remembered what this person looked like, aside from the basic understanding that he wasn't exactly a movie star.

It was at this point her eyes began agreeing with the darkness, and her stomach began disagreeing with her eyes. She stared at Logan's hand, unsure if she was interpreting this sight correctly. He seemed fine the last time she saw him. "... What's up with your hand?" She asked, lifting a single finger to point at the missing finger. At least, it looked missing, but she couldn't say for sure. It was either very bloody, or he had been washing up with a bowl of red Jell-O.
 
"Oh," Logan began, "That. Im not going to get into specifics right now, but les just say my hand had an unfortunate run-in with my mouth." This was going well. All Logan really wanted at this point was to get to know this girl and they were talking about his lost digit, which he had eaten desperately, and oddly decided to be cryptic about. Now, if he could distract her. "So," Logan began again, "What's wrong with the name Annabelle? I mean, I didn't get a good look at you when we met, but I think that it is a beautiful name for a young woman, especially one with your looks." Logan's eyes were more adjusted to the light than her's, and he could see her features wonderfully. Her short hair and glasses gave her both a sophistocated and attractive look, and she really knew how to dress. Of course, what was Logan's judgement, especially after he lost as nuch blood as he had for his finger. "If you were to ask me, Annabelle suits you much better than just Annie does. I think Annie doesn't do you justice. What don't you like about your whole name anyway?"
 
Annie blinked. Unfortunate run-in? He didn't...? No, he couldn't have eaten his own finger, right? Then again, this carnival definetly was wierd enough. "Hold on a second." She put a hand up. "So you... Took a bite out of your hand?" She sighed, and quickly stepped into the gap in the bars, standing next to Logan with her arms folded. And in one swift motion, her fist shot out at his cheek. He wouldn't feel much anyways, being a rock type.

"You idiot! Who takes a bite out of their hand?! What do you think a hand is for? Not eating, that's what. You do have people who will look out for you, you know." She gestured to Connor, Celest, and the little blue flesh pile on the ground, but found herself wondering if she was one of these people yet, or still an outsider. She stepped back out of the cage, and decided to answer his other questions, all negativity absent from her voice.

"Well, Annabelle is too long, for one thing." She started. She wondered if Logan was trying to hit on her, but decided that anyone could think she was pretty without wanting her. "For the record, Annie does do me justice, because it's a younger version of the name. Annabelle sounds like either a five-year-old, or an eighty-year-old. And anyway, it sure was easier for my friends in school to call me Annie. Ask any of them they'll explain their preferences a lot better than me."

She really shouldn't have brought this up. This Logan was persistent, and seemed intent on convincing her that Annabelle surpassed Annie.
 
Logan felt sometning against his cheeck, and then Annie began yelling. "Hey," he said, not loosing his cool, "I said I didn't want to get into specifics, alright?" His hand begun to almost literally burn when Annie scolded him, but in a way it almost felt /good/. She did seem apologetic for getting angry so soon, though because in a much more calm tone she explained her disdain for her full name. "I'm sure your friends at school would teach me quite a bit abiut your name preferances, but that's just not how I am, I'm afraid. I think the name Annabelle is much more suiting for you for a few reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is that it sounds more mature. Sounding mature, as I have often found, gets people to paymore attention to you and also respect you more. Now tell me, why is it such a pretty girl such as yourself doesn't like more respectand attention? I guess your friends could tell me that too, but it seems that they are not here,so whydon't you give it a try?" That last bit sounded a tad sarcastic, so Logan hoped he wouldn't set her off again, as oddly nice it felt to get yelled at by her.
 
"You know..." Annie started. "You're really annoying when you're being persistent." She rubbed her forehead with her palm, giving a sigh.

"Look, you think I don't want respect or whatever? Yeah, right. Well, I'm done arguing with you about it. My name is Annie because that's what I want. Bottom line, its just personal preference. So, call me 'Annabelle,' if it makes you feel better. Hell, call me 'Helga,' for all I care. But don't expect me to not kick you in balls for it one day. Because eventually, I will, when you're not looking for it."

She rested her back on the bars, her arms crossed. Logan seemed like he was hitting on her more and more with all his stupid compliments. She needed to change the subject quickly. She played with her jacket sleeve, trying to find an appropriate conversation topic for this odd man. Something to tell her if he was trying to be smooth with her, or if he really was just that much of a suck-up. But figuring out that topic was a puzzle, and she wasn't good at puzzles.
 
Annie's response to Logan's pestering and inquiring almost made him giggle. Almost. Logan began thinking to himself, about how Annie made him feel, about how while Celest made him feel good but not this good. Was it possible he had already gotten over Celest for this person he had only knew for a few hours? Granted, he had only known Celest for a few minutes before he decided to go after her, and if you thought about it, he had only really known Annie for a few minutes as well. His jhand began to burt again, but this time it actually hurt, not just stinging from guilt.

"Hey, um Annabelle? My hand kind of really hurts now. You do psychic stuff, right? Do you think perhaps you know any healing moves? I'm not certain when my finger, or lack thereof, will stop bleeding, and I'd rather not loose much more blood." Logan felt relieved to get off the topic of Annie's name and friends, and onto a topic they could both agree on. At least, not necessarily one they could disagree on.
 
Annie blinked. At least he changed the subject. But did it have to deal with her being a Gardevoir? "Annie." She muttered a little correction under her breath. "You know, I haven't even tried so much as lifting a pebble while I've been here. Nevermind weaving torn flesh back together. Maybe you should have considered the blood loss beforehand. The least you could have done is get some bandages or something ready." She didn't understand how to fix fingers, much less using psychic powers.

"I can practice, and maybe one day, the finger won't have to look all scarred and nasty." She looked around the tent, her eyes finally properly adjusted. Nothing of any use was in the tent.

"As much as I hate this dress, I hate doing this even more." She tugged at the dress until a strip came off the bottom and sighed a little. Sure, the dress was a bit plain for her tastes, but it was still a dress, and the only one she had at that. She held out an open palm for Logan to rest his bleeding hand.

"I can wrap it up for now, and maybe when I know how be a Gardevoir, I can do something more... sufficient." Since when was she a field nurse? This was insane. She didn't know if she could take somebody else's blood gushing over her hand. "Oh, and no more munchies. This is a waste of a perfectly good dress."
 
"Oh, well i was already using my sleeves, but since you tore your dress already... I really was hoping for some magical flesh sealing, but do what you please, I guess." He held out his hand, waiting for her to wrap her fragmented dress around his stub.

"And besides, I wasn't just munching," Logan's voice got much quieter, "I thought eating myself would be a convenient way to kill myself. I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't sure how you would react, and I wouldnlike there to be one person here I can trust. I know there are others beside Connor and Celest, but those two are the only two I had began to trust, and they ended up destroying my world essentially," Logan's voice began to tremble as tears welled up in his eyes, "And I just wanted to die, but not in any way in which this horrid place might gain from it. Part of why I was being sweet before was because I wanted to get to know you, and flattery is always a good starting point." He took in a deep breath, and sighed it out as a few tears fell from his face. Logan couldn't tell if Annie could tell, and frankly he didn't really care at this point. He wanted someone to show they cared. He wanted a friend.
 
Celest had lingered back by the tent flaps, oblivious to Kiara as she listened intently to Logan and Annie's conversation. He seemed to be hitting on her more then once, and, as Celest half-expected, he got a good whack for... his finger! So she wasn't schizophrenic, after all. ... But the thought of him chewing on his own flesh sent chills down her spine.

However, it wasn't the finger munching that made her feel as guilty as ever. It was the sole reason behind it. ... Her. Was it... because she was with Connor instead of him? ... Oh, how could she be such an idiot! She was so caught up in Connor she completely neglected Logan's feelings entirely. Celest turned away from the tent, her eyes watering up. She... She made him go to the point of suicide! All of it was her fault.

And just as soon as she was starting to gain some self-confidence, it was burning to the ground once again. The same shameful feeling she had in herself returned, and she reluctantly looked back at Logan. Her voiced cracked horribly as she said it, but Celest made her words loud enough for him to hear, "I-I'm... I'm s-sorry..."

And with that, she fled from the tent, step-hopping away from all of them once again with salty tears running down her face.
 
Kiara listened intently to Logan's suicidal rant, then Celest's apology towards Logan. How awful! Connor and Celest were his only friends here, the only ones her trusted, and that trust was thrown away...Kiara was still close to fainting, though with more willpower than she had, she stood up and walked towards Celest.

"C-c-celest...this Carnival has caused all of us nothing but pain...I think I'm near-death...Logan's suicidal...you're feeling guilty...Tess was separated from me...Ally has disappeared...I don't know what Connor's feeling, but It's not something good...and we still don't have the seventh person...Celest...we have to find a way out of here."

With that, she fainted on the floor.
 
Connor's head swiveled around between people and their conversations. He was so confused. So Logan was a bit... Well, jealous, for lack of a better term. And Celest feels guilty about THAT, and Kiara's here, and Logan's hitting on Annie-DAMMIT THIS IS STUPID. He was ready to throw a puppy when Celest came forward with her apology. Well... She shouldn't apologize, right? Not her fault, after all. Things are the way they are- Where's she going?

Celest ran off and Connor was left standing just outside the tent, looking between her, Kiara, and Logan. He switched from Celest's fleeing figure and Kiara's unconsiouss body. He cursed to himself. "Damn it, I'll go check on her! Could you two watch Kiara? Oh, Annie, this is Kiara, she's part Squirtle, you're friends now." With that, he charged off after Celest. He felt cold, and the rain was really getting to him now. Damn you clouds. Why do you have to rain?! Now of all times!
 
"Yeah, well, your sleeves are soaked with warm, red, and sticky blood. Time for a bandage change. At least it looks slow at this point." Annie told Logan while she wrapped the fabric around his hand. She finished just as she heard Logan begin choking.

"Kill yourself. Uh-huh. By eating yourself. There's a flaw in that plan." She didn't go further, preferring to let him speak. When he seemed finished, she sighed. "So you wanted to die in a way that didn't benefit the carnival at all. So don't die." Celest told Logan that she was sorry, and Annie turned to see the girl tearing up. The little blue person fainted. Connor introduced them quickly before bolting after Celest.

She stared out the tent's entrance. "Logan," She looked back at him. "You should stop crying. There's enough sadness pumping through this place. Help me with her-I mean, Kiara. Connor can handle Celest."
 
Not really surprised with anything Annie said at this point, he got a little jump when she turned into a taskmaster. With the arm of his she wasn't holding, Logan wiped his face and snuffled all the snot back in. When she was done with his other hand, Logan stood up and got out of the cage, through the entrance Celest had made. Not really knowing what Annie wanted him to do, Logan walked over to Kiara and picked her up with the hand that was whole, and put her over his shoulder. Then, he brought Kiara over to Annie an awaited further instructions.
 
Tess skidded to a halt in front of a green tent as Celest ran out, crying. Connor raced after her, and Tess heard voices inside the tent. Curious, she trotted up and poked her head through the tent flap. The first thing she saw was Kiara's blue form lying limp on the dirt floor. She raced to Kiara's side and nudged her side anxiously. "Kiara?" she asked, her voice shrill with worry, "Are you okay?" Tess looked around, and only then did she notice the two other carnies. One was the hulking Rampardos she had sbeen tracker earlier, and the other a Gardevior she had never seen. She stood abruptly, eyes fierce. "What happened to her? Which of you did this?" she demanded.
 
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