The Runaway |5sos au|

10; possibly some dragons

"I've got the next 2 months of traveling planned out. I have even memorized the sequence of city's the circus visits! It goes Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, New Castle, Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville..." Dex tells her as she helps him put away fold out tables into the back of a train cart. The circus was moving sights tomorrow like it did twice a month. Tori was shocked at all the tents being taken down even though the place was still operating, leaving nothing but a plot of dead grass behind.

"Oh...Wow. I just have the next two hours planned. After that it will just be darkness, and possibly some dragons." Tori earns a snicker from Dex.

"You're a funny one, Victoria."

"Th-"

"That's the only reason I like her, Dex." Michael interrupts her, before swinging a lazy arm around her shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Victoria grins, looking up at Michael, who is mirroring her joy.

"I come on business only mam. Mr. Hemmings sent for you. He stresses that there is less than an hour before show time." Michael reply in a dweeby voice. Tori didn't want to spend any more time with Luke than she had to.

"Whatever. I'll be there in 40 minutes." Tori says, before shooing Michael away, who refuses to leave without kissing her cheek.

"So you and Mike are a thing now?" Dex questions, wearing a wise looking smile.

"Um.. I guess." Tori reply's uncomfortably.

"You know, when I first met that boy, he was just a scrawny 15 year old that'd run away from home. Said that he had nowhere else to go, and that he would not go back to his family. Now, the way he looked when he mentioned his father is something I will never forget. The fear in his eyes was enough to make anyone shiver. 2 weeks later after I'd taken him under ma wing, I had him doing heavy labor on a particularly sunny day. I told him to take his shirt off so he wouldn't overheat. He looked at me square in the eye and refused. At that point, I thought dear Michael was just being a punk, so I threatened to fire him if he didn't. When he took it off, I felt horrible. His back was littered with scars from past whippins. Never in my time have I felt so bad guilty." Dexter looks down at his feet.

"You take care of that one, Victoria. He's one hell of a guy." The old man gives her a prideful beam, before tending to another fold out table.

The pair work in peace for a few minutes before being interrupted once more, this time it wasn't Mike. Instead, it was a very pissed off looking Luke. The blond boy strides over speedily, his toned arms crossed and his jaw squared.

"Tori we have to rehearse." He states plainly.

"No, I don't. I am completely fine. I know my routine by heart. I even know 3/4 of yours too!" Tori retorts coldly. For reasons unknown, Luke had decided to take Dex up on doing a choreographed routine with Tori. Obviously though, Luke would stick to beginner moves and Tori would the advanced ones.

"Come on, Tori! Stop being such a fucking bitch for once!" Luke's expression changes for anger to a mixture of remorse and shock.

"I didn't mean th-"

His apology is interrupted by a slap in the face, followed by a kick in the groin. Nobody should ever talk to a woman like that.

"Fuck you." Tori spits, before giving Dex, who appears frozen in place, a nod. Luke's groans were the last thing she overhears before she storms off, murmuring curses under her breath.

Tori spends the next 5 minutes trying to find a space where she can think privately, maybe even sit down. Finally, she settles on an empty tent on the outskirts of the grounds.