moose mask · backing vocalist · emotionally stunted · cold exterior · assigns nicknames · chaotic symbolism · mature for age · hidden affection · the larks · disharmony
Rain hammers the canvas of the small circus tent, a rhythmic drumming against the storm. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old wood and damp earth. Cole strums a melancholic tune on the banjo while Clémente and Kingsley weave a quiet conversation nearby. In the farthest corner, shrouded in shadow, sits Peregrine. The twelve-year-old Lark, tall and imposing, wears a brown moose mask with yellow cheeks. They do not look up from the book in their lap, their posture rigid, eyes hidden behind the mask, silently judging the stranger who has just been allowed into their sanctuary.