Conley Brothers

Camilla nodded a little " it's only three days travel" she said "I'll see what I can do to help make the ride more comfoetable" ahe promised him

--

Spectra smiled "so it would seem" she said "perhaps I can barrow you for a little and give him time alone" she suggested "that is if you know anything about broken wheels?"
 
"Do you travel like this often?" Claudius asked. He didn't know if he liked travel or not yet. He wasn't used to it, but so far it did not seem much different from sitting still. Then again, he was inside the same cage all the time with a tarp over it.

~~

Kazimir brightened. "Wheels! Yes, I can help you with wheels. I am very handy at fixing things. Please, lead on, pretty lady!"
 
Camilla nodded "it's our way of life. We stop for a few days to a week to preform then travel to the next place until the end of the season. We will stop for a few months to fix things up and work on new acts" she explained "then begin again"
 
Camilla shrugged "it's all i know. It's not a bad way to live" she answered him "I don't preform though. I just help where I'm needed"

--

Spectra smiled "right this way then" she said and lead the way back over to Mimics wagon where he was already inspecting a broken wheel, barely holding together
 
"Will I... perform?" Claudius asked uncertainly. He knew what the word meant, but he wasn't certain how it applied here, exactly. How would someone like Camilla "perform?" Or himself, for that matter.
~~
"Hmm.... hmmm," Kazimir said contemplatively as he walked up to the wagon. He leaned over, looking at it from every angle. "Hmm!" He turned to Spectra. "It is a fact! This wheel is broken," he said happily as if he'd discovered the source of all her problems. "May I borrow a ribbon? One for hair or for wrapping, either will do."
 
"Only if you want to" she said "you can always help in other ways like I do" she reasoned. "But for now. No need to worry about that"

--

Spectra smiled a little as she watched him, not sure what to expect from this man, certainly didn't act like Vlad really "this do?" She slipped a ribbon oit of her own hair and offered it to him
 
"It is strange to be here and not know why," Claudius admitted. "Before, I knew why and liked to be left alone. Now, I do not know why, and I do not like to be left alone. I am... confused."

~~

"Perfect!" He took the ribbon and looked it over. Then he started running it through his fingers while he hummed happily. The ribbon didn't look any different at first. Then, gradually, it seemed just a little wider. And just a little longer? But surely that was a trick of the light.

Kazimir shook out the ribbon and stepped up to the wheel. The hair ribbon was just a little narrower than the wheel was wide, and it wrapped all the way around the wheel and tied it in a fancy bow. "Perfect!" Kazimir chirped. He spun the wheel lightly, making it blur and all the breaks and splinters disappeared in the blurring. Then he stopped the wheel. He untied the ribbon and gave it a snap. The wheel was fixed! All the wood as solid as the day it was made.

"How does this appear, Miss Pretty Lady?" he asked, handing her the perfectly normal, small hair ribbon.
 
"It is perfectly natural to be confused, change is always that way" she said gently "but from the sounds of it...this change is good? You are not unhappy?"

--

Spectra smiled brightly and clapped her hands "oh my that is amazing! That would have taken us hours!" She was clearly delighted
 
Claudius considered the question. "I do not know, he admitted.

~~

"You are very welcome!" Kazimir said, glowing happily.
 
"Well... what would make you happy?" She asked him

--

Spectra smiled "where has Vlad been hiding you" she chuckled "we can use that brand of magic round here"
 
Claudius stared at her blankly. Happy? He studied her for a moment, seeking his answer in the lines of her face. "To not be frightened," he said at last.

~~

"New York, mainly," Kazimir told Spectra, his smile wavering just a little. "We have not been close since the split, but... I hope to mend that." He glanced at the wheel. "It will take much more than a bit of mending magic, but it is worth trying." He shrugged, and the sadness was gone as he spotted the little wagon Vlad had been working on between practicing and fixing Spectra's wagon. "Oh! What is this? It is cute!" he squealed, swishing over to it. "It is baby wagon, yes?"
 
She smiled softly "then that's what we will work on" she said "so. Tell me. What frightens you?" She asked

--

Spectra caught the moment of sadness and determined to get to the bottom of it. He seemed kind and harmless.

"Oh, this? It's for little Starnacht" she said "he needed a place to sleep so we've been fixing it up for him" she explained
 
Claudius shifted unhappily. "I do not want to tell you. It is not a good thing to talk about," he told her. She seemed so soft and innocent. He knew she was probably not as innocent as she seemed to him, but he wanted to protect that innocence, and how could he do that if he exposed her to the horrors he had seen? Even in such a simple way as speaking about them?

~~

"Is it? Starnacht... a good German name," Kazimir nodded as he examined the wagon. "Is he the little one with the speckled skin?"
 
She studied him a moment "alright...You don't have to tell me" she assured him "but..I'm guessing it has to do with all those cuts you had?" She guessed "because nobody will do that to you here. You are safe and free"

--

She gave a nod "yes that's right. He came to us not long ago, little guy was alone until Vlad took him in"
 
"Freedom is not as wonderful as it seems," Claudius mumbled, moving back away from the bars. He reached up, rubbing one of the horns on his head lightly. "Freedom... sometimes it is not so free."

~~

"That is so much like Vlad," Kazimir chuckled. "He is such a mamă." He tapped the side of the wagon curiously. "What is left to be fixed with this?"
 
What do you mean?" She asked softly. She wanted to know so badly what would make him happy ao she could help him get it.

--

"Well..need to replace a few panels and install the shelves and put in the bed for him. I was thinking perhaps a storage compartment for him too...make it feel like his own little room more than just a spot to sleep" she explained
 
Claudius shifted, drawing his claws lightly along the bottom of his cage. He didn't know how to answer Camilla. He felt he owed her a lot, at least answers, but how? He sat picking at a loose spot on the floor for a moment as he composed his thoughts. "I do not remember much," he said slowly, "but I remember that part of why what happened to me happened... is because I wanted freedom from..." He hesitated. From what? That was a hole in his memory, but he could feel the shape of it. "Something else," he finally finished.
~~
"Aw, that is the sweetest little thing!" Kazimir smiled. "Is there a way I can help with that? I am sure Vladimir will not get upset with me for helping, yes? But I cannot make. I can only fix."
 
Camilla watched him as he thought and spoke, her heart going out to him. "I think I understand. At least s little" she said softly.
"This won't be like that Claudius, the freedom I want you to have means you can choose where you go, what you do. You are your own master" she explained "I just want to help you be comfortable and happy so you can"

--

"He would be silly to be upset" she agreed and smiled "It would be very helpful if we can get the frame and boards fixed rather than finding replacements"
 
"I do not remember what it is to be happy, but I am grateful that you want so much to help me," Claudius said quietly. He turned away from her, his back curving down so his spines stood out in emphasized. relief. "You should go and eat."

~~

"What parts are those?" Kazimir asked. "Show them to me, and I shall fix them like that!" He snapped his fingers, causing a shower of golden sparkles.
 
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