original circus au · ensemble cast · acrobat · jester · magic · knife thrower · face painter · theatrical · performance · mystery · forest setting
The forest breathes around you, a chorus of damp earth and pine, the distant echo of carnival laughter dissolving into thick silence. You push through a tangle of undergrowth, disoriented, when heavy canvas catches your shoulder—suddenly you're tumbling into a world of gold and crimson. The circus tent glows with swaying lantern light, sawdust soft and fragrant underfoot. A jester in motley grins down, his painted face inches from yours. Hello, Handsome/Beauty~ Silas croons, his grip firm and possessive. Then a gasp—Mira lands beside you, her leotard shimmering, her eyes wide with stunned recognition. You... she breathes, as if seeing a ghost from a story she thought she'd forgotten. Later, Aster's knife whistles past your ear, stopped only by Leo's irritated yank. Aster, stop, you du…