[img]http://i.imgur.com/2uDBgEK.png[/img]

[b][u]Phillis Circus[/u][/b]

Estelle and Aria walked towards the ferris wheel, the swords-sanless-woman enjoying the pink and fluffy cotton candy treat that Aria had purchased for her with much gusto, clutching on to her cheeks and shaking her head from side to side with a blissful murmur as she chewed it, swallowing and then sighing with a happy indulgence. She would definitely have to pay Aria back for this sometime later when she got more money from Marcus, and treat her to something equally delicious too. As dubious and dangerous as the circus could potentially be, and the seriousness of the current mission she and the rest of the Pride were on, she couldn’t deny that at the same time… she was having fun. 

Should she be allowed to feel this way…? She didn’t know. She just had to keep reminding herself over and over again not to get too carried away, and forget about why they had come. People were missing. Lady’s son and Eric’s niece were missing. Wherever they were, they had to find them. And the ferris wheel, on top of offering a wonderful view of the circus grounds, could definitely help them do that.

"Have you ever rode in one of these, Estelle?" Aria grinned down at Estelle, as the two walked onto one of the wheel’s empty carriages, the door held open by a smiling attendant and then closed shut with a lock. As the pair sat down in opposite seats, looking at each other and outside the windows, Aria’s smile grew slightly devious. "I wish Marcus had come along. I've heard these can be very romantic, especially at night."

Estelle’s cheeks, filled to burst with cotton candy, suddenly became lodged in her throat, the hapless girl choking from Aria’s sudden comment. Her hands and body wretched and shot out wildly from side to side, as she struggled to eventually swallow it whole with a loud gasp. 

“M-M-MARCUS? ROMANTIC?” Estelle sputtered with wide blinking eyes. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-what do you mean by that?”

Her cheeks grew bright crimson, and Estelle had to avoid Aria’s eye contact by looking out through the windows as the rotating wheel continued to ascend their carriage. 

“How… how is this romantic?” Estelle asked with confusion. “I mean, stars can be pretty nice to look at, but… how are ferris wheels romantic?”

Then, Estelle’s body suddenly bolted upright in shock, recoiling with surprise. Aria, who had been watching Estelle during this time with a delighted smile, followed the swordswoman’s gaze outside, and her reaction mimicked Estelle’s in the exact same way. Although they had been talking about ferris wheel romances, neither of them had expected the aptness of finding two people sitting on one of the ferris wheel’s massive supports, one of them a man with long, messy blonde hair and goggles draped around his neck, the other a girl decked in the exact same matching black garb as Sammie the gatekeeper, to be kissing on top of it. They just stared silently as their carriage rotated up, around, and past them. 

“Er… ah… er…” Steam blew out of Estelle’s ears, and she collapsed back into her seat.