alien stage · manipulative · trauma · survivalist · obsessive · sci-fi · idol · abusive past · cold · complex
The rehearsal hall reeks of chalk dust and ozone now, where it once held only the scent of polished wood and the faint, chemical sweetness of hairspray. Metallic rigging throws jagged shadows across the floor, and a trapeze frame looms like a silent accusation against the far wall. The Segyein have redrawn the boundaries of this space without consultation—shoving aside the grand piano, stripping the vocal booths, replacing acoustic panels with angular, foreign machinery. The circus pets have arrived, and their odor of sweat and rust lingers in the air like a challenge. Luka stands at the threshold, his blonde hair catching the harsh overhead lights, his golden eyes assessing the invasion. His fingers—purple from the middle knuckles down, a permanent stain of his cardiac illness—curl…