Chapter Text
An inaudible breath.
A smile.
A bow.
Spin.
Another bow.
Lights out.
Lights on.
Some gasp, some scream, some applaud. All leave the tent with more questions and quivers than when they entered in the first place.
Jester watches in glee as more souls exit the newest tent with a variety of emotions laid plain on their face. Another successful show it seems.
Once he has deemed the tent empty of all souls other than the one he seeks, he strides in.
Looking about he sees the show's aftermath, a mangled body of a fool in a duplicate of a costume he holds dear on the ground under all the aerial equipment.
“The show is over now, love. You missed it.”
“I can see that just fine with my own eyes, pet.”
Jester replies dryly, turning to the owner of the voice and the original costume holder.
“So, whatcha doing here?”
“Can I not walk in my own circus?”
“And here I thought you came to check up on me after my show.” A chuckle.
“Pet, you have been here for about a year and a half now, I am quite confident that you are quite alright. And if you aren't, the Doctor or Perriot would be more than happy to oblige you and your feeble attempts at attention and care.”
“Oh how you wound me love.”
“You will live.”
“I have been”
“Exactly.” Jester replies, turning on his heel and heading out. With a lighter feeling to him as he knows she is alright.
Juslyn sighs, and here I thought I could have some nice Jester for at least a few seconds. Guess not.
Stepping back out into the main stage area of her tent she sees the fool's body is gone. Taken away at some point during her and Jester's conversation.
A year and a half and she still gets a rolling feeling in her stomach looking at the blood left behind. A year and she still gets sick after her shows sometimes. A year and a half since I left and became something no person can turn away from.
A murderer, a betrayer of my own kind, a monster lover, a performer.
Life has a funny way of turning just enough to throw you off, give you a chuckle, and think you got it covered. Then it turns completely the other way in a split second not giving you any time to think until after you have stopped for a few seconds. That’s how she got here.
First an injured Pierrot on the dirty pavement of her old town, taking the abuse of an idiot to avoid conflict to now having her own show, tent, and 5 monster lovers.
Lost in thought, still staring at the darkening stain, she never noticed the dark shadow creeping up on her until it was too late. A certain gremlin has wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up, spinned her as one would a child.
“Quin!” Juslyn shrieked in surprise.
“Yes, dear one~”
“Put me down, please. I am already feeling queasy as it is.”
The Harlequin puts her down and spins her around. A crease in between his eyebrows.
“Oh don’t you start now too, Quin. I’m still a human who is killing their own kind.” Juslyn cuts in before the Harlequin says anything.
He chuckles, “You are getting to know me too well~. Now I know I can’t let you go.” He says, a tentacle pulling her closer, earning a squeak.
“Get out of here you overgrown snake.” She replies, pushing away from his chest, “Don’t you have a show to do?”
She receives a groan in response, the tentacle moving back under his costume, “Fine, but you owe me, dear one~” He says in a low voice, as his signature smile returns.
Juslyn waves as she watches him leave, turning to go to the back of her tent.
She starts to remove her costume as she makes her way to her dressing area. One piece at a time and puts them in their corresponding parts in her wardrobe.
First comes off her corset, a pretty thing. A nice soft yellow, with a darker yellow for the boning. Small ruffles decorate the top and bottom of the corset, as a large bow covers the lacings at the back, both just yellow beyond being white. It's decorated with sequins in a sun beam type pattern starting at her belly button, the sequins change as she moves, from a golden white to a deeper gold. She places it on the stand as she moves to take her gloves and body suit off.
Her gloves are a delicate whitish yellow, matching with the details on her corset, with ribbons to tie them up her arms. Her body suit is cut like a bathing suit, nice and snug so it doesn’t catch as she does her more dare devilish stunts. It has long sleeves that fit perfectly under her gloves, it's a nice solid darker yellow to match with the boning of her corset.
Now that her top half is covered in only her bra she moves to her legs.
She unlaces her shoes. They are more like slippers or socks in a sense. As the hug snuggly to her feet and are completely comfortable yet they provide all the protection of a normal shoe. They lace up to just above her knee and are whitish-yellow as her gloves are. And to finish it all off her tights are the soft yellow to match with her corset.
Now completely in her underwear she moves to her couch and picks up the white T-Shirt, black skirt, and red hoodie she laid out before her show. Putting the clothes on, she turns to her vanity.
It used to be plain white but is now covered in doodles and art of her own making, pictures of her and the troupe, and so many little trinkets.
Juslyn sits and looks into the mirror and starts to brush her hair out. It isn't too much of a problem as it is only shoulder length in the longest parts. She always has it curled by Jester before every performance as he insists.
And finally she takes her half mask off and places it down beside the picture of her and the troupe after her first show.
It was such a nice picture, it was about a year ago so about half a year after she moved into the circus. It was a day exclusively for her show. It is taken back stage, as she is seen hunched over on her knees clutching her chest. Pierrot kneeling behind her a hand on her shoulder, the Doctor hovering asking for her symptoms, Ticket Taker walking out with hands behind his back going to go retrieve some water, Jester standing off to the side partially in shadows sneering at her weakness, and Harlequin is taking the photo selfie style.
That was the day they decided to go with her half mask design. Her nose and eyes were covered which just left her mouth free. Her mask, like the others, was completely white other than for a sun design on her right eye. Two of the beams moved to either side of her mask to merge into the straps to hold it to her head.
With a sigh, Juslyn stands and makes her way out of her tent into the frenzy of the circus.