Scratch can see this girl with her arm outstretched towards his sister. They both smell rotting flesh coming from her.

Almost in the blink of an eye a blueish gray mist transfers from Chase's chest to the girl's hand. Then, as if by magic, the girl vanishes in a small plume of smoke. As the smoke dissipates, so does the stench and Chase's memory of the event. Chase is left with an empty feeling, and as her memory of the painting comes back to the forefront of her mind, she attempts a smile... only to realize she can't. No matter how hard she tries, she can no longer smile.

Scratch is left with the memory of watching his sister being manipulated by that grotesque little girl.

Illuwen continues searching for a way into the caravan, oblivious to the departure of the tabaxis.

When Chase hears Scratch calling her name, she blinks, snapping out of her daze, and turns to look at her brother. "W-wh-what was t..." Her voice trails off, and for some reason, she feels... off. Her ears are pinned tightly against her head, and her tail is puffed out, bristling with tension. It takes a few seconds for her to relax again, but when she does, she's left puzzled. Why had she gripped Scratch's hand so tightly? "Uhm.... yeah! The painting. Cool, huh? I will learn to do something like that someday!", she exclaims, her eyes beaming with excitement, though this feeling doesn't reach her lips. Something is off with her but she tries not to look concerned when she adresses her twin again. "Come on, Little Furball, let's catch up with the others."

Illuwen does spot a door to the caravan just around the backside, but it seems as if this area is restricted to employees of the carnival only.

Isy has decided to follow Illuwen over the twins, and asks them "Hmmn, employees only? Should we try anyway?"

Just as the strange girl turns to smoke, Scratch attempts to hurt her by extending his claws and throwing out a paw at her. Unfortunately, his hand goes right through the air where she had been. He waves his hand through the dissipating smoke, confused.

"W-wh-what was t..." Chase's voice trails off. Her ears are pinned tightly against her head, and her tail is puffed out, bristling with tension.

Scratch turns to look at her. His eyes travel all over her face and head. "Chase?" Somewhere in his concern, he notes that his twin is squeezing the life out of his hand.

It takes a few seconds for his sister to relax. "Uhm.... yeah! The painting. Cool, huh? I will learn to do something like that someday!", she exclaims, her eyes beaming with excitement, though she isn't smiling. "Come on, Little Furball, let's catch up with the others."

Scratch puts his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from turning away. "Chase, are you ok?" He explains to her about the strange girl in the pig mask. "She smelled like a dead animal," he says, his face looking more and more afraid. "Do you not remember? She ... I don't know what she did, but it was weird. Do you feel ok?"

Lex, distracted by the goblin's painting, stumbles through a response, "The paints...are...probably...enchanted...or,  or...or something." Lex is feeling increasingly uncomfortable and unwelcome in this strange place, with a strange gnawing sensation between his shoulder blades that he has never felt before, a lingering dread as if something is wrong, but he's forgotten what.  Hearing Isy's suggestion behind him, he says "Hmm...ooh, I dunno. I wonder what's back there, but maybe we shouldn't..." he trails off as he shakes his head and blinks away what his mind thought looked like a wet, slimy, monochromatic clown in a pig mask dancing in the mural on the side of the goblin's caravan.

Chase tilts her head. "Smelled like rot? And she was wearing a pig mask and a lollipop? I don’t remember anyone like that. But I feel" she places a paw on her chest and even pulls her shirt a little, as if trying to figure out where that feeling of loss is coming from, "like I’m missing something inside me."

Noticing her brother’s worry, she tries to smile at him, but to no avail. She rubs her mouth with her paws and says, "It’s like my mouth isn’t working. I try to smile at you, but I can’t. That girl, did she have fairy wings? We’re the only ones not wearing them, and that goblin got scared when he didn’t see wings on me." Chase takes a long breath, then holds Scratch’s paws, looking deeply into his pink eyes. "Don’t worry, brother. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Let’s stay together and warn our friends."

With this, the young tabaxi leads the way towards Iluwen, Isy, Lex and Chandler, never letting go of her twin's paw for a moment. They have found a door! That is good! As soon as she arrives, she tells them "There are bad people in this Carnival. I don't remember what happened, but Scratch saw a weird girl getting close to me", she proceeds to describe what Scratch told her, "and now I don't feel that good. Any of you feel weird too?"

(ooc: I've moved the twins tokens, hope that's okay!)

[Yes, move your tokens as you see fit. You all have access to the PC tokens so that you can control where you think you are.]

As you all regroup you see a carnival employee ride by on a flying angel fish, leaving a stream of golden bubbles in it's wake.

Isy, staring at the fish, "How's that fish swimming in air? I want to swim too!" You get the feeling that she'll be distracted by anything that goes by, and might not be able to stay on any task. However, she has not yet attempted to leave the group after the first time.

Scratch follows in Chase's wake. He's not having very much fun, now. That strange little girl and Chase saying she feels like she's missing something inside is weirding him out! He's half a mind to just say they should all leave Juniper behind and get out of the carnival immediately. But he looks around and sees several people in fairy wings having fun. What is going on? Is this what happens to people who sneak in without buying a ticket? Maybe Lex was right. Scratch ignores the fish-riding employee that everyone else looks up at in response to Isy's exclamation. He reaches out and knocks on the caravan's door. The sooner they can leave, the better.

If it weren't for what had just happened, Chase the Bird would have gazed at the flying angel fish in awe, but she's not that interested in the wonders of this circus anymore, especially since she can read the discomfort on Scratch on Wood's face so clearly. When she notices Isythin looking at the fish, she taps her gently on the shoulder. "It's just a pretty fish. We can all go swimming later, yeah? You must be a great swimmer," she says, trying to keep the focus of the Triton on her while they wait to see what happens after her twin has knocked on the door.

[I'm assuming you are knocking on the door that Illuwen found around the back of the caravan and not the shuttered window facing the boardwalk.]

"Coming!' You hear the clown say and he walks through the caravan. As he opens the door you hear him say, "Hey guys, look who I found..." he trails off as he realizes that you are not employees of the carnival. "You're not Witchlight Hands, what are you doing back here. Wait... you don't have wings. Oh no, this is bad." The clown looks very frantic at this point. "You shouldn't be here without tickets!" 

You watch as he bolts through the caravan to the shuttered window and opens it. The clown hangs halfway out the window and shouts, "HURLY! BURLY! COME QUICK! WE HAVE TRESSPASSERS!"

"Wait, no...!" Chase starts to say as the clown bolts toward the end of the caravan. She shoots a quick glance at the other children, unsure of what to do. Should they run? Before they can decide, the tabaxi girl presses her lips together with determination and — taking advantage of the clown’s turned back — slips a couple of steps into the caravan for a quick peek. Does she spot any fairy wings in Candlefoot's caravan? If so, she’ll try to grab them before dashing back outside. Once outside, she motions to Juni, silently urging the owlbear cub to follow.

When Chase enters the caravan she takes a quick look around for some fairy wings, but to no avail. The only pair she spots are already being worn by Candlefoot. 

Leaving the caravan Chase looks back at Juniper, who is sitting on a well stuffed pillow with an elegantly carved wooden box, right next to a bag of mouse shaped marshmallows. Carved into the front of the box containing the pillow, taking up most of the front of this box is the name "Juniper". In response to Chase's signals, Juniper only gives a face of sadness and confusion as she looks back and forth between the children and Candlefoot. Juniper does not move from her spot in the caravan.

As she sees Chase slip back outside, Isy eagerly asks "Did you see her? Is Juniper in there? Did the meanie clown lock her up in a cage?"

Chase returns with the saddest expression, not just in the absence of a smile but in her entire face and her slumped shoulders. She answyers Isy. "Juni doesn't want to come. She's home now... I wish we've had mouse shaped marshmallows to give her, too." The Tabaxi's bi-colored eyes are slightly watery as she moves closer to her twin, gently pulling him by the hand.

Isy, in response, ask sadly, "So, are we to leave her here then? Should we go home?"

Scratch scowls and sticks his torso into the caravan to look for Juniper. Spotting the cublet, he waves his arm and whispers fiercely, "Juni, come on!"

Animal handling: 11

Juni wants to stay?!? Well, we better make a run for it. looks around, is this like a back lot kinda place, out of the paying customers way?