This is a longshot here... something I randomly decided to write...since I have writers block on my other three stories .

Lalage wandered the street, her head tilted to the side and facing the ground. The cobblestones were filthy. A raindrop hit her head. She looked up as many more followed. It was instantly a downpour.

She craned her neck and stuck her tongue out, embracing the cold droplets to assault her skin. The numbing pain was welcome.

"Aren't you cold?" Asked a voice, sounding intrigued.

Lala's head snapped back down to examine the man in front of her. He had stunning purple eyes and even more amazing flame colored hair. Four pieces of metal pierced each of his ears, and a strange stripe was across his left eye. His right hand was skeletal. He had a white glove on his left hand.

A yellow bowtie clashed, yet beautifully matched his purple cape and black and white checkered shirt. His shorts stopped below his knee and were replaced by white socks that led to black heels.

"Miss?" He looked honestly confused.

Lalage blushed furiously, looking at the ground when their eyes met.

Concerned, he walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me."

Lalage looked at him, frowning. She wished she could reply. That she could force herself to say something. The damned shyness made it impossible.

He seemed to realize that she wasn't able to say anything. She couldn't will herself to. Her working jaw made it obvious. "Come along now," he urged her.

He led her to the Noah's Ark Circus, trying to make sure he didn't startle her. Her muscles were tensed under his touch.

"What's your name?" He asked, sitting her down in a tent and handing her a glass of water.

"L…Lalage …" She mumbled.

"Lalage?" The man chuckled. "What language is that?"

"G…Greek…" She said, not meeting his eye.

"It's alright, you can talk to me! I'm not going to eat you!" He laughed. "What does your name mean?"

"M-my older b-b-b-brother said it m-me-meant talkative…or c-c-chatterer…" She said slowly, blushing.

He hid his laugh behind his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Joker~"

Lalage didn't respond. She just blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" He asked her, his eyes somewhat sad. "A place to sleep?"

She shook her head and looked into his eyes, ashamed of her red face. Her light blue hair tumbled into her face, hiding her dark blue eyes.

"You can try out for the circus," he said thoughtfully. "Any skills?"

"I'm…g-good with animals…" She said quietly.

"We already have an animal tamer," sighed Joker.

Lalage shook her head frantically. "N-no! I-i-is there a h-horse act?"

He thought about. "We don't have any horses…but we could certainly get some."

She nodded, her wet hair swaying to her waist. "M-m-my brother taught me how to t-t-teach horses."

"Excellent!" He said happily, his purple eyes glowing. "I'll give you two weeks to train them. We'll get ten tomorrow!"

This started out as a oneshot... I failed. R&R. If I get 5+ reviews I'll update :)