Kellan Conteur

29 Years Old Puppeteer [Kellan is a member of When the Smoke Clears RPG] [I track the tags wtsckellanconteur  and kellanconteur]

[kellanconteur]

Every Man's a King, Every King's a Clown || Kellan and Antonia

[wishihadwings]

Toni’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’s incredible!” Ever one to wear her heart on her sleeve, the young girl made no attempt to hide her fascination. 

"Topsy Turvy?" she giggled. "That’s a funny name!"

His excitement was infectious, and Antonia found herself bouncing on her toes as well, much like he had. “What does it mean?” She’d never been to the Court before, but found herself uplifted by the energy in the air. For once, it seemed that something else matched her own sense of joy that always bubbled inside.

[kellanconteur]

"What does it mean?" Kellan looked at her, utterly bemused. Though he knew Topsy Turvy Day wasn't a holiday celebrated by most people outside the Court, it always perplexed him when someone didn't know, had gone their whole lives without the wonder of the day. 

"The Feast of Fools," he started, watching her face with brow furrowed, waiting for any change of expression to show that she might know what he was going on about, "Do you really not know?" He sat down, the spot behind him open, if she wanted to sit. The spots beside him and in front of him were vacant as well, all around him, really. It was just the ground. "It's the day we do what we deplore, all the other three hundred and sixty-four. Everything is opposite, and..." It was a day of freedom. Complete freedom from everything, social classes, responsibility, work. Everything.

[restlessragdoll]

Pay it forward || Sally and Kellan

[restlessragdoll]

"Sally." She offered her hand nervously. She was used to talking to people, and not having to worry about her brother flipping out if he found out she left. But now- her shyness had become such a habit of her lack of people skills… well, she wasn’t used to greeting people. "And you?" She realized that just because she gave her name didn’t imply he would do so. "You can order more than that… I don’t mind, money isn’t an issue." She smiled nervously, not wanting him to miss out on lunch just because he might be afraid she wasn’t serious. She’f half expected the next person to order extra, just because they weren’t paying. But now she was afraid that this young man wouldn’t get a proper meal beacuse of her offer.

[kellanconteur]

"Kellan," he smiled, shaking the girl's hand. She seemed almost shy, a bit of a contradiction to her offer to pay for whoever's food. "I only came for the drink, but thank you," he shrugged slightly when she pointed it out, a smile coming to his lips easily, though hers didn't seem to, "I have to get back to work soon. But thank you for the offer." He didn't have time for a sit down meal, though usually an offer like that wouldn't be turned down by him, or any member of the Court. But if he were to make the amount of money he intended on, this would have to be a coffee break, not a lunch break.

[kellanconteur]

Seven (inspired by x)

Honesty has always been of the upmost importance to Kellan. But only where family is related. Integrity only matters between the residents of the Court. Yes, it is true that since he took charge, the crimes done by gypsies have decreased, pickpocketing and conning almost entirely eradicated as a source of their income. But moral reasons have nothing to do with that. Kellan has been taught from a young age that family is everything, and he would easily turn back to delinquency to support them. But to protect them, it has been better to keep crime out of the Court, so no one is arrested, so they don’t have troubles with the police, or getting odd jobs from suspicious members of the town.

But crime is still a part of their way of life. Every child is taught how to pickpocket, in the way of the School of Seven Bells. Everyone knows how to pick locks, how to disappear. Kellan is the master of thieves, though he tries not to use his skills. He takes it upon himself to teach everyone, to get them at least competent, so worst comes to worst his family can rely on their ancestors’ less honest ways of living. 

Everyone needs to be safe and fed, that is what matters most to the Conteurs. The rest is just details, so long as their family will survive another winter.

[kellanconteur]

Every Man's a King, Every King's a Clown || Kellan and Antonia

[wishihadwings]

Toni was bundled extra tight. It wasn’t that cold outside, but after her scare a couple weeks ago and barely being saved by Ben, she’d become a lot more cautious. Even going as far as to invest in hand-warmers. And since she only had one hand, They lasted a lot longer.

She was exploring (with a fully charged phone, another thing she was now careful about) when she came upon something magical. At least, that was her first impression. He moved like water, smoothly somersaulting, then doing cartwheels, handstands… things that Toni had no name for. And he did it all so effortlessly, like a dance.

Inexplicably, Antonia’s eyes watered. She wasn’t jealous or sad or any sort of thing… It was just so amazing. And like a beautiful sunset made her want to cry, this did too.

But her smile was too big and eyes were too wide to be mistaken for sadness. after several moments of watching, she felt the desire to express herself. “Excuse me…” she said, taking a few steps towards the Acrobat. “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

[kellanconteur]

Kellan looked up when he heard a small voice, turning around to see a girl there. "Thank you," he stood, moving from where he'd been crouching over some work, taking a grand bow in her direction. But then he smiled slightly, running a hand through his hair, "You should see my sister, she's the dancer." Not as much at the moment, pregnant, But usually Estell could dance circles around Kellan, without a second thought. He dabbled in everything, acrobatics, dancing, assorted stunts, and every sort of performance he could think of. But the jack of all trades was only a master of one: storytelling.  The rest was... impressive to everyone else, but not goof enough for him.

"Happy Topsy Turvy day," he suddenly exclaimed, bouncing slightly as he spoke, "Is that what brought you to the Court this fine morning, Miss?" Usually, a stranger in the Court was ominous at best, always putting everyone on edge. But January sixth was the one dat that wasn't true. And today, anyone was more than welcome. Though this girl was a bit early for the festivities to begin.

[kellanconteur]

Flowers and Chocolate || Kyrie and Kellan

[topsyturvykyrie]

"Me too." She grinned, ecstatic at the idea that things were official now. She’d assumed they were. But now they were twice as official. As in… out in the open. Not that she’d really doubted otherwise of course. She just worried saying it might make Kellan…queasy for lack of the better word. And she wanted him happy. "I am, actually." She pressed a light kiss to his lips. "ooh, I do, what’d you make?" Her eyes on him, she honestly didn’t look at the meal, just him. 

[kellanconteur]

"Come to the kitchen and find out," he took her hands, leading her to the kitchen. Walking backwards wasn't the wisest of decisions, but he didn't want to look away from Kyrie. But he managed to get them to the table he'd set unharmed, turning to gesture to it. A plate of spaghetti and meatballs sat at each of the settings, complete with a loaf of fresh bread and a bowl of salad as well. There were two wine glasses, as well as a bottle of red, and a fresh bouquet of wildflowers he'd picked in a vase at the center of the table. Two candlesticks, in pretty holders that his parents passed down to him completed the picture. "Is this okay, Kyrie?"

[kellanconteur]

One Night Off || WTSC Grand Ball || Kyrie and Kellan

[topsyturvykyrie]

Kyrie couldn’t help but grin as he rested his head against hers. She loved him, she always had and it was the most amazing thing in the world that they were standing here like this, right now. She’d never wanted to admit that she loved him. Always afraid that once she herself accepted it then things would change. Even more afraid that if he found out things would change. But they hadn’t. Now she couldn’t be happier that it happened when it did. She took his arm gently and returned the kiss contently. “Ready when you are.” She nodded.

[kellanconteur]

He was almost tempted to ask Kyrie to stay home for the night, but he wanted to go to the dance. He wasn't always the most graceful, not as talented as Estelle, but he enjoyed dancing. Especially when doing so tonight would mean getting to have her in his arms anyway. Leading her away from the front door, he kept himself close to his girlfriend, a smile on his lips. It was a beautiful night out, and walking to the ballroom wouldn't be half bad. They didn't need to get there for the very beginning anyways. That wasn't the part that mattered, there'd be plenty of time all evening long. "Do you remember the way?" he asked, mentally creating a map through the streets of Storybrooke, to figure out the best way to get them there.

[restlessragdoll]

Pay it forward || Sally and Kellan

Sally was heading to the library, a book in her bag as she enjoyed the walk in the snow. It fell around her like confetti, dusting her hair and the sidewalk as she made her way to return the book she’d gotten a few days ago. However, she knew the library didn’t close for a few more hours and the book wasn’t late anyway she could just drop it in the slot if she missed going in. Plus, a hot cocoa sounded really good about now. Too bad Treven wasn’t there to share one with her. But- he was working. Instead she took a seat at the counter of Granny’s diner and ordered a hot cocoa. But before the waitress left, Sally added. “And I’ll pay for whoever’s next too. I don’t care how much.” It was Christmas after all, maybe she could make someone smile.

[kellanconteur]

Kellan had been working in the cold all day. With Estelle pregnant, and all the disrepair in the Court after the earthquake, he'd volunteered to help the city council decorate for Christmas. It was an odd job, one of many he picked up, and it was relatively good money. Money he'd need if he had any hopes of getting any of his friends gifts this year. And he was adamant he would. Usually, this close to holidays and so short on cash, as always, he'd have just ended up skipping meals here and there to save money. But he knew Kyrie would kill him if she found out about that, and after hours of working out in the cold, he needed something to warm him up. He'd ended up at Granny's, deciding that a cup of hot cocoa would be more than enough to keep him going through dinner. He had a few dollars on him, enough for a cup, but was surprised to hear an offer from the person in front of him. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he looked at the woman, not going to turn down an offer like that, even if it was only a few dollars. "Thank you," he bowed his head towards her before ordering his cocoa, turning to look at her, as he needed to wait for Ruby to make his drink, anyways. "It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"

[odette-warren-blog]

Shirts and Bumps || Estelle and Kellan

[odette-warren-blog]

"I’m ninety five precent sure that you’re getting a niece. So I would start expecting that starting now." When he hugged her, Estelle instantly returned it, squeezing him a bit tighter than she needed to. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting from her brother, but him not being mad at her was nice. It wasn’t her being pregnant that she was worried about, she was just slightly concerned about how he might react that she’d been avoiding him since she’d written that letter. "You’re proud of me? I think that one’s a first. Not a negative one, which is always nice." She shrugged at his question, looking down at the shirt she was holding. "Um, not much. I’ve got it covered… Sort of. I just need a couple shirts so I have clothes until I can get to the store, or more like afford to get to the store. Afford to purchase things at the store… Whatever. I don’t get paid until next week so I just need to wait it out. Plus I already took every sweatshirt Joel owns so I felt like I couldn’t take his shirts too, Kyrie’s aren’t big enough, so I’m bugging you." Estelle tugged on the end of her braid for a minute, glancing around the familiar room slowly, "we could eat though, if you haven’t had lunch." 

[kellanconteur]

"A niece, then," he smiled slightly, already mentally figuring out everything she would need, and the best way to get her that and everything she wanted. Estelle wouldn't be their princess for much longer, not if she brought a daughter into the world, and though he'd only recently learned of her conception, his niece would be the most important person in the Court. Kellan would make sure of that. "I've been proud before, idiot," he shook his head slightly, tsking. He was always proud of his little sister. He just didn't always express that, too busy worrying about everything else to remember to tell Estelle how amazing she was. The only person who he'd remembered to tell that to was Kyrie, and that was another story entirely. "Take whatever you need," he inclined his head towards the closet. He knew where to find Estelle if she went overboard taking him up on the offer. "Don't worry about new things unless you have to, take mine, or we can make new ones. But it's not worth the money, for such a short period of time." Maternity clothing wasn't a necessity, in his mind, and unless his sister was adamant about purchasing it, Kellan was convinced she'd live without it. "Lunch is good," he smiled at her, "Am I cooking, or you?"

[kellanconteur]

Every Man's a King, Every King's a Clown || OPEN

Every January, Kellan's favorite day of the year rolled by. The sixth of January. Yes, the date was his birthday, but that wasn't the reason for his excitement. The date marked Topsy Turvy Day. The day when everything made sense, because nothing did. The day that brought the sincerest of smiles onto his features, regardless of what was going on. He had out of bed by three in the morning, giddy as a young boy, and unable to try and sleep for even a moment longer. Out since that time, he worked hard and fast to set everything up, wanting this year's festivities to be grander than last year's, more spectacular. It was a difficult feat, but one that the people of the Court had yet to fail in, to date.

Humming to himself as he worked, a goofy grin was plastered to his features, and for once, even Kellan couldn't focus on the task at hand, abandoning his work every few minutes to stand on his head or do somersaults, practically bouncing even when he tried to wrk. But despite his energy, he was fully focused and committed, not aware that someone was watching him, and then approaching, until they spoke to him.

[topsyturvykyrie]

New Year, New Hair || Kyrie and Kellan

"I forgot how freeing having short is! …I think I look like cotton candy now." She giggled, she was just missing the pink and otherwise it was pretty similar. Brighter,maybe. But that’s it. She ruffled her hair before letting it fall back into place like it should.

[kellanconteur]

Kellan was amused to find his girlfriend standing in the mirror, talking to herself. Or maybe she'd seen him in the reflection, he didn't know. But he'd just gotten home, and couldn't help but stand in the doorway of the room and watch her, definitely liking that color on her. "I think you look beautiful," he spoke after clearing his throat, walking up to stand behind her and pull her into a hug, "Happy New Year's, Kyrie."

[mxrmadus-deactivated20150410]

Blood, Rubble and Dust. || Earthquake || Kellan & Silena

[mxrmadus-deactivated20150410]

She thought she must have resembled a deer in headlights. All large and green staring ahead like a car was coming in her direction. Silena tucked a shaky hands behind her back and nodded. “I think so-” Her gaze travelled over the strangers. “Are you?” It was obvious they both needed medical attention anyway, but might as well do what they could ow.

       ”How do we get out?” On the tip of her tongue there was so many questions resting on there. Where were they? How did they get out? How did they reach somebody? What was happening? 

 Calm Silena, Calm down… She took deep breaths as her gaze flew to the male. “I think— the exits are blocked.” Her arms crossed over her chest as means of protection from her surroundings it seemed, and she could hear people talking on the other side; but whether there were more people around she didn’t know. 

[kellanconteur]

"Just a bit shaken up, but fine," he replied calmly, not showing that the disaster had affected him in the least. The only thing that bothered him about all this was that his family wasn't with him, that he couldn't protect them. And he'd get over that, once he found them. All it would take was a bit of time, and he would devote all of his to that until everyone was absolutely all right.

"We think," he answered, slowly turning around, trying to figure out where exactly it was they were. It was a bit of a problem for him, having never been in the ballroom before tonight. But he did agree with the girl, it seemed that the exits were blocked. "We wait, unless you know a way out. If we try to move the rubble, it might fall down on us." He didn't want to risk that, rushing to get out only to get themselves stuck in a worse situation.

[kellanconteur]

Old Friends || Graham and Kellan

[thesheriffgraham]

Graham chuckled slightly, smiling and reaching for his glass. His eyes briefly wandered to his glass then he looked back up at Kellan. “Always.” He laughed. “A drunk on the street is pretty much as interesting as it gets… well aside from some petty theft but nothing serious enough to warrant the attention of Storybrooke’s citizens.” He leaned forward slightly. “Why do you ask, though. Did you hear something?”

[kellanconteur]

"Always fun," Kellan rolled his eyes at the description of the crime in Storybrooke, both grateful that there was so little of it, and relieved that his people seemed to be following the mandate telling them to make honest livings, for everyone's good. There had been almost none, other than a few exceptions he was aware of, and had made sure that no one would get caught during. "Nothing at all," he shook his head, shrugging, face not betraying a hint of the Court's secrets, "Just curious, as always."

[odette-warren-blog]

Shirts and Bumps || Estelle and Kellan

[odette-warren-blog]

Estelle jumped at the sound of her brother’s voice and let her expression soften when she saw him. She didn’t want to talk about how long it’d been, one month, maybe two that she’d been avoiding them. Not just him, Joel too, Kyrie less than the boys, but she still hadn’t seen Estelle frequently. She’d been confused lately, how was she supposed to face him when she was so lost. To try and justify herself and what was going on when she couldn’t figure it out herself. Her hand snaked up to the back of her neck, slowly rubbing for a bit while she ran her teeth over her lower lip. “I guess you probably want to talk about my womb nugget.” She said while slowly running her hands over her bump. “I’ve taken care of things, I have more dance classes, I’m tutoring high schoolers and I even walked this elderly woman’s dog for her for ten dollars. It’s not great, but it’s a start.” She looked up at her brother, giving him a warm smile, “I am going to give this baby the world.” 

[kellanconteur]

"Probably," he nodded slightly, eyes darting down to her hand where it rubbed at the small bump on his sister's stomach. Kellan wasn't upset. He had been at first, but it wasn't his place to be upset. She was a grown woman, as much as he didn't want to admit it, who could make her own choices and needed to support herself. And she had her brother's support in that. He was just... hurt, that she hadn't even bothered to tell him in person. But it was good to hear that his little sister was finally learning responsibility, that she was owning up to her actions and working to make everything turn out fine. Even if he suspected that it was only becaue there was no way to run from this. "You'd better," he told her, a half smile on his face, though there was a warning note in his voice, "My niece or nephew deserves it." Walking over to his sister, he pulled her into a tight hug, honestly just relieved to see her again, despite everything. "And I'm proud of you for that, Estelle." Letting her go, he stepped back gently, eyes finding hers, "Now how can I help the newest Merenda."

[pocahontas-terran-blog]

A Change In Scenery || Kellan and Poca

[pocahontas-terran-blog]

"I’m not one of you." She repeated speaking in a flat tone, it wasn’t that she was particularly offended by the words, she just didn’t understand why they were being spoken. She wasn’t about to argue with him about it. "I’m not lost or looking for trouble, I’m simply walking through. There’s no law agains that, is there?" Her question wasn’t intended to be rude and her tone certainly wasn’t, it was spoken as any simple one word question would be asked. "As I said before, I was just talking a walk through the woods, barefoot, and heard the music. I didn’t realize that people who made much beautiful art and music would be so unwelcoming." Pocahontas pushed her long hair over her shoulder and watched him for a moment before taking a few steps away from him, "If you open your mind a bit, you’ll see how beautiful the world truly is, even in the outsiders’ world. Until then you’re trapped in yourself, closed off and treating the rest of the world like they’re not people too. A little hypocritical, isn’t it?" She watched him for another minute before continuing on her way, "It was nice meeting you." 

[kellanconteur]

"I didn't realize it was acceptable to enter people's homes without invitation." Enough of their people had gotten arrested or hurt for doing just that. One could never be too careful around a stranger with unknown intentions. Especially when gypsies were easy scapegoats. But Kellan was usually friendly, so long as his world wasn't intruded on. This was his world, strangers had never gone there for amiable reasons, so why should they suddenly start now. "Maybe if you walked in our else's shoes, you'd understand why we are this way," he returned without a moments pause, voice cold and steely. He didn't need strangers coming in and judging them. It didn't matter why she had come, she had wandered here without invitation, and the Court was their place. It wasn't welcoming, it was safe. No exceptions. "And you," he returned the sentiment, not even an ounce of kindness in his words.

[odette-warren-blog]

Shirts and Bumps || Estelle and Kellan

The gypsy woman bounced up to her brother’s door and rapped her knuckles on the door a few times before moving inside. “Hey Kellan?” She called while glancing around and moving towards his bedroom, not all that concerned with where he was. “Can I borrow a couple shirts? Mine don’t fit right.” She run her hands over the bump in her stomach and pulled out a shirt that buttoned up, once against looking around for him, “Hey, do you need this? I think that I could really pull it off.” 

[kellanconteur]

Kellan was in the middle of getting dressed for the day. He'd slept in that morning, something he hadn't intended on, and wasn't used to doing. But what had happened happened, and there was nothing he could do but try to hurry up and finish everything in the time he had left today. He'd just finished buttoning up a shirt, when a knock on the door caused him to look up, only waiting a few moments before he saw his little sister waltz in, not even really noticing him standing over in the corner of his room. "Estelle," he spoke softly when she had a shirt on, stepping a bit closer to her, after quite a while of not seeing her, "Hi."

[kellanconteur]

Mark (inspired by x)

The Conteur family has always been easy to identify in the Court. Just look for the smallest trailer, though it’s much nicer than many in the trailer park, just because of the effort put into it. They’re always in the middle of everything that happens in the Court, be it repairs, events, or even just planning. If anyone is going around checking up on the residents, it’s most likely a Conteur. And even easier, if one hasn’t learned to recognize them, is the pride they carry with them. They’re a confident, proud, level-headed family, always ready for anything, especially lending a hand.

Kellan is currently the only living Conteur, much to his dismay. Growing up, he always shared the burden of caring for the park, a self appointed duty, with his mother and father, and occasionally his adopted sister, Estelle, or their small group of friends. He still has the others, but they aren’t Conteurs, and the responsibility isn’t theirs, something he tries to remind them of, just to relieve them of that burden. But that means it has all fallen on him. He’s been marked as the leader since his birth, there’s nothing he can or will do to avoid that.

[pocahontas-terran-blog]

A Change In Scenery || Kellan and Poca

[pocahontas-terran-blog]

"There’s no need for shoes when you know the forest." Poca told him simply, not appreciating his attitude towards her. She’d done nothing wrong, so why did he care if she was just passing through? The woman also didn’t understand why he cared that she wasn’t wearing shoes. So it might be a little cold, but shoes were just a piece of rubber that was denying her the access to nature that she craved so much. She wanted more than to just walk through it, she wanted to feel it beneath her. 

Poca straightened her back and looked at the man, curious as to what exactly his problem with her. Part of her wanted to ask, but that would be far more rude than she ever wished to be. “Can I ask you a question instead?” She didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “Do I look like the type of girl that needs someone to help her, and a follow up question, do I seem like someone who cannot ask for help on their own if they needed it?” 

[kellanconteur]

"No, but you're in the Court, and you're not one of us," he answered simply, not meaning it as a derogatory thing, just stating a fact, like saying that the sky was blue or that the grass was green, "Which usually implies that you're either lost, or looking for trouble." There had been policemen to show up, undercover, when he had been younger, looking to arrest the gypsies for stealing or scamming, which they did. But it hadn't helped stop crimes. It had only made them more distrusting of outsiders. "But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and just stumbled upon us." Anyone who showed up at the Court either left or wanted something, even if it was a longing that they would never recognize to live like they did, free from so many restraints that many people insisted on enforcing in their lives.