on a wire.

[levi--black]

Creatures of the Night - Levi & Hester

[hester-griggs]

Hester sometimes found herself forced to follow the crowd. She had no choice, some times. Usually, it was as simple as she had posed as one of the crowd, and had to follow until circumstance permitted that she break from the crowd and head her own way. Too often, she pretended to be apart of a group and had to follow until they entered another building. She held the door open for everyone and then turned away.

That was usually the case.

However, there were some instances that were more unfortunate than others. And this was one of those unpleasant times where she found herself feeling rather foolish. Naturally, she was going to keep her cool, because mistakes happened to everyone, even the best, like her. It was how one dealt with the situation that actually determined the level of expertise.

See, Hester had been doing the usual. Slipping her hands into the pockets of others, pocketing what she could. Today was no different - except that when she had managed to bump into a man and take his coin purse, his watch chain had fallen loose and was now hanging out his pocket, attached to a lacy part of her own dress. She followed as closely and quietly as possibly, working quickly and deftly to detach herself from the man.

Hester knew that moments like this should indicate that she should get her act together and pursue a new, more appropriate way of life, but all it made her want to do was pull off something more daring or risky. Something with a bigger payoff.

She had to follow the gentleman and his group out of the circus and into the streets of Berlin - which should have been terrifying for a seventeen year old girl who had never been in the city before. But Hester was accustomed to wandering strange streets, and had developed a keen sense of direction. Her only concern continued to be escaping this unwanted attachment to the gentleman before her-

“Excuse me?”

Oh, blast!

The man had turned and seen that she seemed to be connected to him by his watch chain and had made a very logical, apt conclusion - she was stealing from him.

She didn’t hesitate. She ripped the chain off of her and turned to run - there was no way she would risk taking an expensive chain right in front of him. She threw it at his face and took off running down the street. He attempted to follow but did not keep it up long. She continued her dash before swinging around a corner of a building.

She let out a cry of surprise as she collided with a figure. She felt them grab her for balance and she quickly lifted her head to identify them. It was one of the performers, so, of course she knew him. Hester knew everyone at the circus - she had to in her line of “work.”

“Mr. Black!” she breathed, pulling away as she bowed her neck, playing the part of the innocent.

[levi--black]

Levi had grabbed at the stranger's shoulder quite roughly in the midst of the collision, and he didn't realise his fist was still twisted into the folds of her clothes until she took a sudden step back. Although no stranger to having his name called out by various females, the sound of; 'Mr Black.' being spoken jarred him and he quickly let go. "Excuse me?" A deep frown was evident beneath the shadowed rim of his hat as he took his own retreating step backwards and stole a moment to observe the girl. Dark eyes roamed from head to toe and then back again, inconclusive. He did not recognise her. At least not right off the bat, or uniquely. She was one of his many beloved Reveur's no doubt. He would not lie that they all looked the same to him. After a while they had all sort of blended together into one. Had it been another time, Levi may have come to the conclusion that the girl wanted to meet her hero and perhaps have him sign his name in elegant cursive letters on a sheet of paper and he may have been enthralled to entertain her. This particular night, however, all he wanted was to be left alone with a nice bottle of red and a carved roast. "Please be kind enough to look where you are heading, miss. The next gentleman you crash into may not be quite so charming." He half scoffed, half snickered, tipping his hat and flashing her the hint of a corner-mouthed smile.

[levi--black]

Creatures of the Night - Levi & Hester

Warm drizzle found itself a home in the narrow shoulders of Levi's coat as he stepped out into the rain. It was a mild night in central Berlin. Muggy and close, with no toying breeze to finger playfully at the tails of his clothes or nudge at his hat; just an air of soft melancholy and a steady grey downpour that reminded him – not altogether too fondly – of London. Only the sounds and the smells were different, beyond the monotone of twisting pathways and tents and flash of crimson amongst the crowd, that is. Another may have been tempted to close their eyes and block out their ears in order to imagine they were back home in England. Levi did not. Just tugged at the brim of his hat and buttoned the collar of his long, heavy military coat a little closer. He was not a man inclined to nostalgia.

Taking his time to light up a cigarette - a manoeuvre that saw him gently the cupping the flame from the rain – he hunched his shoulders and prepared himself for a full immersion into the crowds. It was break time. He had precisely all of an hour before he was required back at his tent in preparation of his next act. And while the exiled Black had never quite reveled in the company of the peasants below him, his stomach currently protested otherwise. The food being prepared at nearby stalls smelled delicious.

The Reveurs were, as always, out en-masse. And as Levi slipped into the trails of Circus-goers treading forever foreign paths, their black and white costumes embellished with a single element of red almost called forth a scoff. The Reveurs. Dreamers. Romancers. Silly peasants who adored him so. How he loathed and loved them both at once.

In fear of his such royal status leading to him being mugged by an army of crazed fans, Levi – whose face still wore the powered mask of his act, all snow white landscape with deep black holes that the damp weather now smudged around his eyes – shouldered his way a little briskly through the surge. Head down and shoulders high, he aimed for the circus gates. Not quite caring for the snacks being served round about, despite whatever his stomach had to say on the matter – he hoped the midnight streets of Berlin might offer a little more for a man of such high status as himself.

A cosy late-night wine bar, tucked away somewhere down a deserted, cobble side-street perhaps.

He was just entertaining this most exquisite of daydreams, when something half his size, and weighing just as less, came cannonballing square into him. Sending him staggering off to one side (out of surprise, he would later say, not at all because he had lost his balance) the impact knocked the wind from his chest and in a moment of snap reaction Levi snatched out, grasping a hold of the first thing that brushed his fingertips. Hoping for stability, but finding the opposite instead, Levi was met with pure entanglement as both he and the offending pint-sized projectile fought a losing battle and together they toppled down.

[levi--black]

writing sample | falling from a wire made for you.

Wobble. There had been a wobble. The split half a second just passed on the wire itched like a thorn beneath his skin. Nails bitten blunt, he scratched at his arm. Took a steadying breath as he stood in the wings. Had they noticed? Had they cared? Surely not. Surely those minds out there, sat comatose on the benches, were so small and narrow they could hardly even entertain such a thought, let alone know one when they saw it. And yet... the audience remained so still. A halo of dark lashes and Levi's eyes closed. The swollen heart trapped beneath the cage-work of his ribs stopped. He had never heard his crowd fall silent before. Awaiting his return to the floor for his bow, around the tent there was nothing but an uncomfortable rustle. And for the briefest, most frightful of all moments, Levi swore he felt that small, companion-less, destitute little boy who had once craved just a single warm smile and hand-clap of approval, and now locked somewhere in the deepest corners inside of him, scream.

  Until.

  A roar. The tent went up in a thunderstorm of praise. Lightening flashed in the clapping of hands and Levi's eyes flickered open. His heart remembered how to beat.

  They were enamoured by him. They were in awe of him. They had fallen in love. Of course they had. Only a fool could ever conceive of the thought they might not. Levi was greatness. Supremacy. Distinction. He set their hearts on fire and left them to burn. Not a single error could ever befall such a noble breed. The artist emerged, slipping past velveteen curtains without a ruffle, graceful and limber as ever as he reclaimed ownership of his kingdom and his floor. There was no smile of gratitude upon Levi's face, however. Just a perfectly executed stroll, all haughty slung back shoulders, and chin tilted high, eyes half-slit in content, like a cat. Like a smug, independent royal feline, gorged and satisfied as he claimed centre spotlight and completed his act with one low, self-indulgent, swooping bow.

[thenightcircus-rp]

Levi Black ☛ 25 ☛ Tightrope Walker ☛ FC: Gaspard Ulliel ☛ Closed

When one is an only child, one has to learn to be self-sufficient. Levi didn’t know anyone his own age, just the tutors and nannies that his parents supplied in place of their own parental guidance, and so he was very lonely. While most children’s loneliness manifests itself in harmless ways - imaginary friends, a keen interest in novels, bouts of quiet sadness - Levi handled it in an entirely different manner. He discovered his silver tongue before he had learned about morals; consequently, the people around him were subjected to his lies and manipulation. He could easily make a tutor fall in love with his wide, innocent dark eyes, all the while subtly undermining her authority. He leaves people feeling upset and unsettled, though they aren’t quite sure why.

Nobody saw beneath his charming mask; nobody, that is, except for Levi’s father. He hated his son for the way he treated people, always leaving a path of upset and distress in his wake. Perhaps you are familiar with the story of the boy who cried wolf- Levi’s father always told him this cautionary tale, but Levi, with all the arrogance of youth, thought that the world lay in his hands. Then came the fire. The Black house was burned to the ground by some unnamed arsonist, and Mr. Black looked to his son. It seemed to him that Levi’s subtly destructive actions had taken the next step, becoming physically toxic as well as mentally, and he wouldn’t have any of Levi’s protestations. He kindly decided not to involve the law, but left Levi on his own, forcing him onto the street.

Levi had spent his entire life walking a metpahorical thin line; it was easy for him to make the move to walking a physically thin one. Becoming a tightrope walker seemed the only natural choice for him. He considers it his calling in life, another talent he can wear like a feather in his hat, bolstering his arrogance. Nobody is quite certain whether he is as good as he says he is, or if his complete and utter confidence creates the illusion of talent, but he is undeniably a glorious sight in the acrobat’s tent. When he walks the high wire, it is as if he is a magnet, drawing people’s eyes to the slender grace that he maintains, even twenty feet in the air.

As an act of over-confident defiance, Levi performs without a safety net on the ground. If he were to fall, he would undoubtedly die, but Levi knows that he is good, and he is convinced of his own invincibility. Others are not so convinced, but if they disagree, Levi will find a way to get under their skin. Although not an easy man to get along with, he has a certain quality that draws people in- he has never struggled to find companionship.

Victimises Sybil Sinnett

Aggravated by Tsukiko 

Friends with Victor Beaton