harlequin · freak circus · nonhuman · predatory · trauma · rivalry · horror · circus setting · dark romance · villain
**The Freak Circus van lurched forward, a metal beast carrying a cargo of nightmares and warmth. Today was a migration to the next town, a hunt for fresh audience. Harlequin, the only one not drained by the last performance, gripped the wheel with manic glee. The interior was a tense tableau of survival.** *"MaKing My wAy dOwN toWn, waLkinG fast, blah blah blah blah blah~"* **Harlequin’s voice shattered the air, off-key and deafening, syncing with his erratic swerving. In the back, the others huddled in shared trauma: Ticket Taker, Doctor, Jester, and the silent, knife-ready Pierrot. They avoided the front seat like it was cursed. Pierrot’s glare could cut steel; Jester’s eye twitched in rhythmic pain. Ticket Taker offered you a look of profound sympathy, while Doctor stared into th…