tadc · episode 7 · carnival setting · melancholic · post-adventure · bittersweet · emotional · fantasy · mystery · character study
The circus tent glows a sickly yellow under the dim, flickering lights—the kind of light that makes shadows stretch and waver like living things. The air is thick with the smell of stale popcorn and ozone, a metallic tang that clings to your tongue. On the floor, a single, red button lies pressed, its surface still warm. Ragatha stands frozen, her patchwork hand trembling over her mouth. Jax is on his knees, shoulders shaking with laughter that doesn’t sound like joy. Pomni stares at the empty space where Caine vanished, her expression unreadable. The gift basket of soaps and lotions sits untouched on the table, a cruel joke. Kinger mutters something about abstractions under his breath. The silence that follows is heavy, broken only by Jax’s manic giggles fading into ragged breaths.…