Work Text:
Another chilly day. The weather's been all over the place lately. The man thought as he walked down the street. He hummed, noticing fliers advertising a traveling circus, people dressed in eccentric outfits promoting it, performing interesting stunts. He took one of the fliers off a building, reading over it.
...I wonder-
"Hey! Get out of here, you freak!"
The man glanced over, seeing someone had slapped one of the performers, causing them to fall to the ground, the fliers he was holding falling around him. The performer was wearing a red, black, and golden outfit, long white hair framing his face. His face, however, was covered by a white mask. At least, it looked like a mask.
"Ever since you guys showed up, people all over town have been going missing! Go back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of!"
People have been treating them harshly, blaming them for the disappearances.
"I'm talking to you, freak! Get out of here!"
A crowd began to gather and watch. The man narrowed his eyes, sighing. He pulled up his hood and began walking over.
"Get out and never come back you- AH! HEY!"
The man purposely bumped into the other, causing him to also fall to the ground.
"Whoops." He said sarcastically, "Sorry, mate. I have some bad eyesight. You'll have to forgive me."
"You little-" He stood up, "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"
"Oh, me? I'm nobody." He shrugged, turned to walk away.
"Little-!"
The man quickly turned and caught the other's wrist before he could hit him, "I suggest you walk away. I don't know my own strength and, since you raised your hand first, it'd be self defense."
The other let out a groan and yanked his wrist away, "I HOPE YOU GO MISSING NEXT!"
The man turned around with a shrug, continuing on his way. ...They're not missing. He thought. He continued to walk until he made it to the small coffee shop in town. He ordered a hot chocolate before sitting down at a table to wait for his drink. He took out his laptop and began typing away, the circus flier sitting beside him.
If I'm right, then I do need a ticket to get in. But what ticket? A general admission ticket wouldn't give me what I needed. He thought as he continued to type, I wonder if there's a way to bribe the performers into getting a better one...
"Excuse me, sir?"
The man looked up, seeing a man wearing a nice blue suit and tie. He had black hair and dark brown- almost black- eyes.
"Yes?" He asked cautiously, having a weird feeling.
"I see you have one of the circus fliers. Have you gone?" The man asked.
"Not yet, no."
"'Not yet?' So you plan to?"
"I do." He looked back at his laptop, "It intrigues me. There's something I wish to know about it."
"How thrilling." The man took out a pink ticket from his pocket, "You see, I'm going out of town, and I wished to give this to someone. However, a lot of the people here have grown to dislike the circus."
"I'm aware." He hesitated before taking it, "Thank you. Tell me, though, what does this ticket give me?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm hoping to get a little behind the scenes action. Would this ticket do that?"
The man chuckled, "It would. It would let you see everything that circus is hiding."
He looked up at the other, "...Thank you." He repeated.
"Ciel?" The barista called out.
"Excuse me." He stood, pulling his hood down. He thanked the woman for his drink and went to sit back down.
The man in the blue suit was gone.
Ciel smirked.
***
"Good evening, visitor!" The Ticket Taker exclaimed.
The man wore a dark blue and golden suit with white gloves. On his head was a dark blue hat with a yellow ribbon tied around it, a half black and half white mask on his face, a half white and half black smile on the mask. A single eye was visible on the mask, making it feel eerie.
He held out his hand, "May I punch your ticket?"
"Sure." Ciel responded, offering it to him.
The Ticket Taker took it and let out an exaggerated gasp, "Oh, that ticket gives you special access! Please, come this way!"
Ciel followed the other into a pink and white tent. He stepped inside and looked around. It's dark. ...I sense something is wrong.
Before he could do anything, he felt something hit the back of his head, causing him to fall forward.
"Bring him to the back." He heard, struggling to stay awake.
However, he eventually did loose consciousness.
When he had woken up, he felt something in his mouth. Confused, he bit at it. Rope? He glanced down, And around my arms and legs? What's going on? Why am I tied up?
"Look, he's awake." Someone said.
Ciel looked up. Though the tent was dark, he could see glowing golden, green, purple, blue, and cyan eyes. He could make out shapes and statures of the people in front of him, but he couldn't fully see what they looked like.
"He's pretty." The same person said.
"Let's begin." He heard the Ticket Taker speak. Ah, so those must all be the main performers. "Anyone interested in this one?"
"Hmmm... no."
"Nope."
"I think I'll pass too." The Ticket Taker looked at towards the golden and green eyes.
The golden eyed person seemed to think, "Hmm.... no."
"Then I'm out, too."
How interesting.
"Very well. Then, we can either relocate him or..."
He watched as each set of eyes showed off sharp teeth.
"Devour him."
Ciel bit through the rope, letting out a chuckle, "I see. So that's how this circus works."
He watched as the performers in front of him faltered for a moment, as if caught off guard.
"Forgive me, for I have played all of you." Ciel easily broke out of his restraints and quickly dodged as one of them tried to grab him, "I wanted to know if you lot were human, and it's clear your not." He dodged another one of them and quickly moved to the stands behind him. He gave an exaggerated bow, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! But I must be going, now!"
He stood and felt a throwing dagger enter his shoulder. He chuckled, "Cute you think that'll stop me~!"
In an instant, Ciel disappeared from the circus. He landed on the balcony outside his apartment building. He took the dagger out of his shoulder and stabbed it into the wall outside. He opened the sliding glass door and stepped inside his bedroom, making sure to close the door behind him. He walked to his bathroom and snapped, his clothes disappearing, looking over himself.
Ciel had dark skin, perfect in every way. The kind of skin humans envied. It was soft, he looked young, lacking wrinkles, scaring, stretch marks, etc. He wasn't overweight, but he also wasn't underweight, the desired weight humans struggled to achieve. He never understood why this body was sought out for so much. He had dark blue hair with a single lighter blue strip, a unique color humans thought he dyed. His eyes, however, was what he had to keep hidden. Well, one of the three things he had to keep hidden. His left eye was purple with a black pupil and sclera, no whites in his eye at all. But on the right side, he had three purple eyes that his bangs halfway hid.
Ciel stroked one hand over where the knife was stabbed. It did make a wound, but it was very minor. He was bleeding a human red blood, not his normal golden, which meant it wouldn't take much to heal. He let out a sigh and felt himself letting go, the rest of the illusion that made him look human disappearing. Upon doing so, he felt a single black wing come out of the right side of his back, a black fluffy tail whipping around behind him. He used his magic and healed the wound, wiping away the blood.
There. Back to having a doll-like body. He chuckled.
He heard bells jingle.
Ciel widened his eyes. ...I didn't lock the door, did I? He let out a dramatic groan before walking outside of his bathroom.
"Alright, listen, I-!" He stopped upon seeing who it was.
The one with golden eyes. The one wearing the red, black, and golden suit. Now that he could see the other up close, Ciel took in the other's appearance more. He had a red jester hat that very purposely only had three sections, each with different a different black design on them, golden stars at the top of each section and golden bells hanging from each of them. He had a black and golden ruffled collar with a bells hanging from them. He wore a black one piece with the ends tucked into the black boots, a red short overcoat on top of it, yellow arm bands, and black gloves, ensuring his entire body was covered.
His white mask seemed to flush pink as he quickly grabbed the blanket off of Ciel's bed and used it to cover his body.
Ciel was confused before remembering he forgot to put his clothes back on. He hugged the blanket himself, chuckling, "Thank you."
The man nodded, staring down at Ciel. Ciel... always felt small like this. The other towered over him, at least seven feet tall. He was only 5'7, tiny compared to the other. Ciel stared up at him, seeing the "mask" change shape. It had a gentle and curious look, the taller tilting his head. Perhaps...
"It's not a mask, is it...?" Ciel reached up, gently touching his "mask".
He watched as a small smile formed on the "mask", the eyes closing.
"It really is your face... How interesting." He smiled, "You and that circus of yours, so interesting."
"You're more interesting." The other spoke before covering his mouth.
Ciel chuckled, "...I suppose you didn't mean to do that?"
He shook his head, "...Truth be told, I am not suppose to talk in outside of the circus and not in front of people."
"I see. Such a shame, you have a lovely voice, Mister...?"
"Pierrot!"
"'Pierrot.'" Ciel repeated, smiling, "My name is Ciel."
"...You're not human either."
"I am not." Ciel chuckled, "But I'm not like you and your circus."
"May I be so bold to ask what you are then, my lord?"
He hummed, "...Perhaps I can explain it another day. It's quite a long story." He gently turned Pierrot's face, "...I'm sorry."
"Ah, do not apologize, my lord, I-"
"N-No, no, I mean... when that guy slapped you. I didn't step in more because... I needed a way to get into the back, to satisfy my curiosity." He frowned, "But... I should have done more."
"Do not apologize, my lord." Pierrot gently took Ciel's hand, intertwining their fingers, "I understand."
"...You are too kind." Ciel smiled, "I still do apologize."
"Consider it forgiven."
He chuckled, "...You should probably get going."
Pierrot's face fell, "B-But, my lord-!"
"You came here to retrieve your knife, right? I would hate for you to get in trouble if you were to stay with me."
"...Will you come back to the circus tomorrow?"
Ciel cringed, "Uh, I'm not sure if-"
"Here." Pierrot took out a red ticket from his pocket, offering it to Ciel, "It will give you special access. Please, my lord, won't you take it?"
"...Well, if you insist." He chuckled, taking the ticket.
"One more thing, if I may." Pierrot snapped and a yellow star pin appeared between his fingers. He offered it Ciel, "Please, wear this on your collar, my lord."
Ciel took it and smiled, "Claiming me as your own? You're quite bold." He teased, seeing Pierrot blush. He took the pin, smiling as he twiddled it between his fingers, "...I love the stars, you know. I'm glad this is your symbol."
Pierrot smiled more. He took Ciel's hand and placed a kiss to his palm, "I shall go now, my lord. I hope to see you tomorrow."
"You will, but I will look more human."
Pierrot smiled and nodded, turning around and walking out the balcony. He looked over his shoulders and waved, Ciel returning the motion before the other jumped off.
Ciel didn't worry, even though he did live on the fourth floor.
***
"Welcome, dear gu- Oh. It's you." The Ticket Taker's eye seemed to twitch, the smile faltering.
Ciel smiled. He wore a blue and black hoodie, blue jeans, black and black and blue shoes, his normal human outfit. However, he also clipped the yellow star pin Pierrot gave him on his jacket. He had two normal human eyes, despite the color being purple.
He offered his red ticket, "I wish to see the show."
The Ticket Taker stared down at Ciel before putting on a fake smile, "Very well. A special red ticket. Now where did you get this."
"Depends. Will the person be in trouble?"
"Not at all."
"Then it was Pierrot. I mainly wish to see him."
"Lucky for you-" The Ticket Taker took the red ticket and put it in Ciel's pocket, "-that ticket gives you access to all but the pink tent."
"Thank you."
He walked into the circus and began looking around. There were bright lights, loud music, stands with food, everything about it was a normal looking circus. He saw a blue, cyan, purple, green and red tent. He wanted to go into the red tent, assuming it was Pierrot's, but it seemed the show wasn't ready. Instead, he went to the green tent. He sat with the rest of the audience, sitting in the front row, waiting.
The performer appeared on the stage. It was the one with green eyes. He wore a green jester hat with black heart designs on it, bells hanging off the ends of the two sections, black hair peeking out from underneath the hat. He had a large smile that showed off razor sharp teeth. He wore a black cape that had a yellow outline and undercoat, yellow hearts on it. Underneath the cape, he wore a half green and half black jacket, a black and green glove on his hands, each with the alternate color heart on it. Similar to Pierrot, he wore a black one piece with the ends tucked into his boots, one black and one green with the opposite colored laces.
"Welcome, welcome, my dear monsters~!" The man cooed, "Please, I hope you enjoy my show~! I'm going to present to you a little story~!"
The lights went out for a moment before the stage seemed to have some sort of backdrop with large black puppet-like silhouettes. Each puppet was unique, all with different colored eyes. One had pink, another had golden, another green, another purple, another cyan, and the final puppet only had one white visible eye.
It was a giant puppet show.
"Far from everything, where God's eyes cannot reach, the monsters lived." Sitting atop the backdrop, the performer spoke, narrating the scene that played out, "Forgotten. Hungry. Silent." A tent appeared over the shadowy puppets along with a human puppet, "Until a man appeared. He raised a tent upon the dead earth and made a deal. 'Work for me, you hideous little creatures, and I will feed you.' 'How wonderful!' thought the monsters. And so, they obeyed." The tent and human puppet disappeared, a large crowd with white masked happy faces appearing behind the 'monster' puppets, "But the man brought more men, and they laughed at the monsters. They applauded their pain." The lights went out and the human puppet was the only one visible, "'What if I charged others to watch?' The crowd loved it! But the man wanted more, always more! So, he began to feed them less. 'This way, they'll be weak! Harmless!'" The human puppet disappeared once more, the monster puppets returning, "He laughed while the monsters rotted in their cages, swallowed by the dark. There, they thought-"
"What if we became human?"
Ciel widened his eyes. That voice sounded like the purple performer.
"We could eat as much as we want!" The green performer.
"No one would hurt us ever again." Pierrot.
The lights came back on, the backdrop behind the puppets once more, "And, on a moonless night, when the sky seemed dead, the monsters realized a sacrifice would be necessary there was an angel among them!"
Ciel stiffened, watching as the pink puppet stepped into the middle of the other monsters, fake angel wings appearing on their back.
"I can feed you." A feminine voice cooed, "Grow strong. Become human, and build a home for us."
Please no!
We have no choice.
She is the weakest of us.
You will give us the strength to go on.
"The angel said."
PLEASE HELP ME, I DON'T WANT TO DIE-!
All the puppets besides the 'angel' puppet stood in a circle, tears rolling down their cheeks, "And then, as if she had never existed, she vanished with the wind. Our little sacrifice miracle." The human puppet appeared, "The next morning, the man returned to laugh." The tears vanished from the 'monster' puppets eyes, instead turning angry, as the human puppet shook, as if to resemble fear, "But the monsters eyes had changed. They were free. They were hungry."
The lights turned off.
When they came back on, the performer was standing in the middle of the stage, arms outstretched, a bright smile on his face, "And that's how the monsters became human! But what happens next, you ask? After that, the new humans took their home and began to travel together, searching for a place to build it again and live happily~!" He hummed, "Just as the angel had wished..."
People began clapping and cheering, Ciel joining in.
"Thank you, thank you, my little monsters!" He bowed.
Ciel waited for a moment, staring at the stage as everyone stood up to leave. He sighed and stood up, hoping to be the last one to leave.
"Ah, I'm glad you came!"
The green performer suddenly jumped in front of Ciel, the man widening his eyes.
"I was hoping we would see each other again~! Tell me, did you enjoy my show?"
Ciel hesitated before smiling politely, "It was a very interesting story-"
"Hm, you have his marking."
Ciel was confused until the other grabbed the star pin he was wearing. Ciel, instinctively, grabbed the other's wrist and pushed it back, eyes narrowing, "Don't. Touch it."
The performer's eyes widened before he chuckled darkly, "Haha! You are very interesting! Grown close to the drama queen, have you?"
"And so?"
"Oh, it's nothing. It just makes this more fun~!" The performer grabbed Ciel's jacket and clipped something on it. He gasped, looking down, seeing a green heart pin right beside the star, "There, he'll love that, I'm sure!"
Something tells me he won't...
"How rude of me, I never told you my name~!" He stepped back and bowed, "My dear, I am Harlequin. A pleasure to meet you, human." He sneered the last word.
Ciel snickered, bowing as well, "My name is Ciel. I assure you, human, I mean no harm to you, your friends, or this circus."
The two stood and stared at one another.
"Then, tell me, Ciel, why are you here?" Harlequin asked.
Ciel shrugged, smiling innocently. He began to walk past Harlequin.
"To watch humans fall and trip over themselves for the smallest amount of the sweetest of poisons. It's entertaining, thrilling." He whispered as he walked past, "I've grown so bored. And you lot have made me less so. For that, I am indebted to you all."
Ciel left the green tent, moving to go to the red one. He got there just in time, the lights dimming slightly as the show was about to begin. He quickly took a seat and waited with anticipation. As the lights turned back on, Pierrot appeared, already bowing slightly. A theatrical performance? He thought, Makes sense. It's one of the few things one can do without speaking.
Ciel watched as Pierrot stood up straight, striking a more menacing pose, his smile turning sinister. He moved in a strange, hypnotic, yet calculating dance as the lights followed and changed around him. It was almost like he was dancing with his shadow. Pierrot would move to the right, his shadow would move to the left, balancing each other. When Pierrot looked small and fragile, his shadow loomed large and terrifying, both perfectly in sync. Soon, he stopped and the lights pointed to Pierrot, the shadow he was dancing with disappearing.
Pierrot bowed as people clapped.
However, the show wasn't done.
In an instant, a wooden board with a female stage assistant was strapped to it, arms and legs spread, appeared on the stage.
She wore a pink dress and a white mask with a smile on it.
Ciel widened his eyes.
Pierrot took out a few knives. He threw one at the board, purposely hitting right above her ear. The next one hit right beside the women's chest. The next hit right under her elbow.
The final one sunk into the woman's head, blood staining and dripping from the mask.
Ciel watched in both horror and awe. The people around him cheered, screamed, let out a gasp, and/or clapped at the performance. Eventually, everyone was clapping, especially as Pierrot took his final bow. Ciel joined in, clapping as he thought I wonder if they eat those bodies...
Everyone began to file out of the red tent, Ciel intentionally waiting and holding back. Once he was the last person, he stood, Pierrot smiling brightly as he jumped over.
Pierrot leaned down, whispering into Ciel's ear, "Did you like my show?"
"I did. It was amazing. It looked like there was two people on stage dancing. And your magic was very entertaining."
"Can you stay a bit longer? I could show you the rest of the circus?"
"I would love that, though I'm not sure others would." Ciel whispered the last bit, eyes looking away, trying to look behind him as much as he could.
Pierrot followed his eyes and let out an annoyed huff, "I see." He then hummed, smiling at the other, "Would you be able to come back tomorrow?"
"I'd love to." Ciel said genuinely.
Pierrot smiled more before he stepped back. He took out one of his daggers and flicked in, turning it into a red flower. Ciel chuckled as the other gently put the flower behind his ear. He then looked down and widened his eyes, pointing at the green heart pin.
"Ah-!" Ciel sighed, "Harlequin gave it to me... He tried to take the pin you gave me off, but I didn't let him."
Pierrot nodded slowly once, his eyes saying exactly what he was feeling. He was not happy.
"I will see you tomorrow, Pierrot." Ciel promised, earning a smile and excited nodding.
Cute. He thought before turning to leave.
The next and final tent he planned to go to was the purple tent. He walked inside and say it was an actual theatre stage, making him widen his eyes. He took a seat and waited.
"Welcome, welcome, my precious monsters of the day!" The purple performer took the stage.
He looked very similar to Pierrot, except his outfit was purple, golden, and black. He wore a purple jester hat with black designs decorating it and bells at the ends of each section, dark purple hair and eyes, two small white horns visible. He wore a yellow shirt with a ruffled collar, a purple tail coat with puffy sleeves and yellow undersides, as well as black gloves. He wore black shorts over purple leggings and finally black pointed heeled boots with little bells on the points.
"Did you come thirst for blood? Hungry for terror?" He questioned as he stood up straight, stomping his foot on the stage to get everyone's attention, "You know, my dear monsters, this dark garden is the window to the kind of fear you've been craving! And I, the one and only noble Jester, couldn't possibly deny shivers to my starving little monsters, could I?" He smirked, "Tonight, I will tell you a story. Hold your gasps, for it's just a story."
Jester disappeared, reappearing above the backdrop, leaning into it, "A harmless story about... forbidden love."
Ciel bit his bottom lip.
Five people in pink circus themed outfits took the stage. All looked masculine in their body shapes, all had purple glowing eyes, but they each had a different mask over their faces. One had a bird like mask, another had a half white-half black mask, another had a masked that looked like Jester's, another with green markings, and the final ones with golden markings.
"In a forgotten valley, where the moonlight seemed to hesitate before touching the ground, the nameless ones lived. Creatures of hidden shapes, hungry eyes, and hearts that had long forgotten how to beat for anything beyond hunger." The pink... puppets, fell to their knees on stage, "But among them, there she was-" A sixth puppet joined the stage. A woman, wearing a pink circus themed dress, a mask over her face with pink markings, small fake wings clipped to her belt. "-a sweet little flower in a garden of black thorns. Shaped like a gift from the heavens! Columbina!"
PLEASE, NO-!
Jester laid across the backdrop, hand to his head, "Delicate, with no claws, almost no fangs! Just a gentle presence among the shadows, smiling warmly at monsters! A smile that lit up the darkness!"
The puppet with the golden markings moved to kneel in front of 'Columbina', offering a fake rose to her, "And it was for that tender warmth that He, the silent monster, lost himself. Everyday, he watched her, her light steps, her kind words. And the more kindness she gave, the closer he came. He sighed for her, kept for he the broken flowers of the valley, and tried to hide his claws so she would not wound herself upon his skin."
The lights dimmed as the puppets shifted. The one with green markings stood to the stage right with clenched fists, a spotlight on him. Jester stood on stage left, continuing to narrate, "But, there was the Other. A monster with venom in his voice and in his hands, who hid within the shadows of lovers' meetings, who saw the light in the lovers' eyes and felt envy gnawing him from within."
"Why are your eyes never on me? Why can't it be... me?!" The green puppet spoke in a voice similar, but not quite, to Harlequin's.
The puppets moved, the green one pulling 'Columbina' to his chest, holding her hands in his, careful.
Did he have metal claws on his hands?
"The venomous monster clenched his claws when she slipped away from his attempts at seduction. His teeth ground together whenever she pulled back in his presence." 'Columbina' pulled her hands away, putting them to her chest, "And every refusal was like a crack splitting his very being."
"You make me sigh too... you make my heart race." A soft, gentle, feminine voice cooed. But something inside you scares me.
"She was just as kind to him, and even though she sighed in his presence, her heart beat in a different way. Until one day, the Other grew tired of the game. Tired of the glances that weren't meant for him. Tired of the sound of the lovesick monsters' footsteps drawing near."
The green one dug the metal claws into 'Columbina's' chest, "You know, my sweet flower, maybe it's not you that I love. Maybe, this feeling is something else. My heart beats fast for another reason." He used his claws to rip open the woman's chest, blood staining her clothes and his claws, "Or maybe... I just want what I can't have. If I do this, maybe then-" He ripped more, creating deep gashes into her chest, more blood spilling, "-I can love you the right way. Only my way. Mine."
Please don't, Ha-
The lights turned off.
"And when the lovestruck one arrived on that starless night, all he found was the poison."
The lights turned back on. The green one stood over 'Columbina' in the middle of the stage, the golden one standing to the stage left, "Found the Other standing there, blood still warm on his hands, a crooked stained smile on his face." The golden one fell to his knees, "Behind him, delicacy lay on the ground like a crushed flower, eyes still open in surprise."
Why did you do that?!
"Are your eyes on me? Ugh." Is your hate on me? "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, rage, pain! I love it! I LOVE IT!" Someone had to do it obviously.
There's no turning back now.
No... no, no, no...!
EAT!
"And the valley filled with the cry of the lovestruck monster, a cry not of hunger... but of pain."
I'll find a way... we'll be together, forever.
The lights turned off.
When they came back off, only 'Columbina' laid on stage, covered in blood. Jester loomed over her, amused, "A scream that would echo through the centuries, haunting every shadow. Every night, every breath of those who dared to love there. Because in the valley of monsters? Love is just another way to devour each other."
We had no choice.
"And that day, the nameless shadows grew stronger in the dark." He stepped over the blood as he snapped, people dragging the body off stage, leaving behind a trail of blood, "The poison? It found that hatred tastes far sweeter than love!" Jester then bowed.
Everyone clapped, speaking among one another as they began to pile out. Ciel stood, attempting to slip out with the crowd.
"Not so fast, visitor."
Ciel felt someone grab his wrist as he was pulled back, away from the exiting people. He was spun around before he was stopped to face Jester directly. Jester looked over him, a smirk on his face, eyes reading every breath he took.
"That was far too easy. I thought you were faster than that, dear guest."
Ciel chuckled, "Well, I can't go bolting and cause a stampede, now can I?"
"Suppose not."
They stood they, staring at one another until it was just the two of them in the tent.
"Tell me, what exactly are you?" Jester demanded.
"It's a long story."
"I'm sure we have time."
"I'm sure you have another performance-"
Ciel felt something grab his arm. He looked and saw one of the puppets, the one playing Harlequin, had grabbed him, metal claws digging into his skin. He looked back at Jester.
"As I said, I'm sure we have time." Jester snickered, beginning to circle him, "You're not one of us. We would have known if there was another monster roaming. And you are certainly not like Columbina. You clearly have your own set of fangs and claws you keep hidden." He stopped in front of Ciel, "So tell me, what are you?"
Ciel hesitated before he let out a dramatic sigh, "Fiiiiiiiiiine! I'll tell you, but don't blame me if you get lost." He smiled, revealing his true eyes, "Tell me, do you know why humans call you 'monsters?' It's because they feel the need to describe everything with words they understand, even if they can never understand what is in front of them. Humans are always the same, no matter what."
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was an angel?"
"Ha! Not a chance."
"But humans call me such. At least, they do where I'm from."
Jester tilted his head, smile falling. He stared at Ciel, curiously, his eyes urging Ciel to go on.
Ciel's free hand went to his chest, "You see, I'm not from here. And I don't just mean this town, I mean I'm not from this world. This universal, if you will. The world I am from, I am called an angel. But outside of my world, humans may describe me as a... world jumper. Dimension hopper? Universal traveler? Whatever, the premises is the same." He held up his free hand, his own type of magic coming from it, "I'm able to use my magic to travel to different realms, worlds, dimensions, whatever you wish to call it. But, in doing so, there are some major changes. Not every world is made to have magic, so I lose my magic. Not every world can comprehend my experiences, so I lose my memories. Some worlds are full of magic, so I'm able to keep both. I never know when going into a world what I may experience. Sometimes, I am forced to play the role of a human. Sometimes, I merely act human. Sometimes, I'm able to be my full self." He winked, "And, luckily for you, I am able to be my full self."
"Tell me then, why do you do this?"
Ciel pulled out of Jester's puppet's hand, closing his eyes as he made himself to look human again, hands going into his jacket pocket. He opened his eyes and smiled, at Jester, "Simple. Boredom."
"Boredom?"
"Mhmm! Where I'm from, I am basically a prince. That, in of itself, is another long story that I don't wish to discuss. Put simply, it's boring there. I'm able to get whatever I want with a snap of my fingers. No joy in finding it, no fear in messing up, no despair when it goes wrong. Just simple boredom." He then outstretched his arms, smiling brightly, "But coming to worlds like these! Where I'm able to have fun, where I'm able to struggle, where I'm able to meet even more thrilling people I'd ever meet in my own world?" He giggled, "Now that brings me joy!" He put his arms down, "I promise, I mean no harm to you or the circus. I merely wish to ease my boredom. As soon as I grow tired, I'll leave!"
"...Tell me, have you ever worked in a circus in the other worlds you've visited?"
"Huh?"
Jester smirked, "You say you wish to cleanse your boredom, correct? Tell me, then, how well can you preform?"
Ciel's eyes widened.
***
"Put that down!" The woman hissed.
"But Mommy! I want it!" The kid whined.
"No! I said put it down! That circus is not meant for kids!"
"But-!" A huge gust of wind blew the paper out of the kid's hand, "Ah! No!"
"Well, that's what happens when-"
As the paper was flying away, someone gracefully landed on a nearby streetlamp, catching the paper before it could get too far. He then easily flipped off of the lamp and landed in front of the kid, the boy in awe. The performer wore a simple black leotard with sky blue stars decorating it. On his hand were black shoulder length gloves with moon shapes on the elbow, black and sky blue striped stocking. On his back was a single black angel wing, a long black tail behind him. Over his face was a moon shaped mask that only covered the right side of his face.
The man knelt down and smiled at the boy, "Here you go." He offered the flyer.
The boy stared in awe as he took it back.
"H-Hey! Get away from-"
The man quickly stood and flipped backwards. He gave a soft bow before turning to walk off.
"Those damn performers, I swear-"
"Mommy, please! Can we at least go see him?! He was so cool!"
The performer chuckled, able to hear the young boy even as he walked away. I felt a bit awkward wearing this outfit at first, and the idea of being some aerialist? Really threw me for a loop. He walked back into the circus, heading towards his light blue tent, But I guess it makes sense.
"Ah, my lord!" He turned and smiled as he walked into his tent, seeing Pierrot inside, tending to the tightrope. He jumped down and smiled, standing in the middle of the stage, "You're back so quickly!"
"Yes, well, I wasn't going to take long anyways." He walked towards him, "I just needed to leave a couple things in my apartment to make it seem I've gone missing."
"What, can't use your magic for that, Ciel?"
He turned, seeing Harlequin was sitting on one of the benches, smirking.
Ciel smiled back, "Of course I could, but not all of us like to take the easy way out~!" He teased.
Harlequin rolled his eyes before humming, "I still think that suit should be tighter."
"In your dreams." Ciel rolled his eyes, looking at Pierrot, who stared down at him with a bright smile.
"Not just mine~! Pierrot's too~!"
That immediately caused him to go red, Pierrot glaring and hissing at Harlequin, "Shouldn't you be getting your tent ready?!"
"Shouldn't you?!"
The two began to argue and Ciel rolled his eyes with a chuckle.