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[b][u] Phillis Circus: Big Top[/u][/b]

Estelle was left speechless after her and Aria’s encounter with both Crispin and Vance Phillis, watching the pair’s exchange and the latter’s cold and threatening reception towards them. The manner in which he moved, looked and spoke was unnerving, and it certainly had a clear effect on Crispin, making him haul himself away from that spot to dash off somewhere else. After Vance turned his attention towards Estelle and Aria, it had made the swordswoman want to do the same as well, leaving her stunned and unable to know what to think, before he sauntered off without waiting for a reply. 

"Looks like our disguises are working fine.” Aria breathed a sigh of relief after the danger had passed. “Do you suppose he was someone important? Perhaps we should follow him, or maybe we could go and 'man our posts' and chat with some other performers?"

Important was an understatement. Someone who dressed like that and carried such an air of superiority was one thing, and the ability to actually make people follow his demands such as the youth in the cap did was another. There was no doubt that man was someone. The only question was who?

Estelle had a nagging feeling weighing down on the back of her mind. Like the strange man in the cap and pink shirt that had popped out on them, the other man in the regal red coated ringmaster’s outfit… seemed familiar. Estelle had definitely seen him somewhere before, but she knew she had never spoken to him. A man like that felt like someone you wouldn’t forget. Who was he?

With a narrowing of her eyes, Estelle looked away from where Vance had vanished to, and turned her eyes in the direction of Crispin’s departure. 

“We could probably check him out later,” Estelle mused aloud. “I think we might be able to do a bit better talking to the other guy. C’mon, if we’re quick, we might be able to find him again.” 

With a nod from Aria, the pair began to follow after Crispin. Like the red ringmaster, the other man felt familiar to Estelle too, although she couldn’t remember where. He was, at least, not as threatening as the other. Hopefully they could coax some new information from him. 

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[b][u]Phillis Circus: Funhouse[/u][/b]

Eric sobbed profusely. It didn’t matter how far he ran or searched, there was no sign of his precious niece anywhere inside the fun house. Tears welled up and streamed down his cheeks with abundance, and a thick stream of snot started to trail from his nose and over his lips. 

Oh, what had happened! Where were you, little one? Were you safe and okay? Please, by the gods, let his wonderful little niece please be okay!

“Oh, well, hey, would you look at that. We’re finally out of that shithole.” Moira placed her hands on her hips and nodded in satisfaction as she and the rest of her group broke out of the perplexing and irritating maze that was the funhouse. She lifted one hand up and over her face to shield her eyes from the sunlight above. 

“I told you we should have just stuck to the left the whole way through,” Syed smiled, before feeling slightly guilty for the feeling after still seeing Eric sobbing. 

“Oh, quit your belly achin’” Moira grumbled, kneeing the man in the rear. “We’ll find her, so just pipe down, huh?”

“Yeeeargh!” 

A sudden scream broke out from nearby, one that threw up all of the quartet’s fears and agitation at once. They spun around, following the source of the voice that emanated from a short distance around the side of the large funhouse. A look between all three members of the Pride yielded a nod of understanding, and they immediately began to dash forwards, leaving a confused Eric follow desperately in their wake. 

“Hey, was it just me or did that scream sound like…” Syed began to murmur, and Xandra nodded back. 

“Yes. It sounded like…”

“Lute!”

Skidding to a stop around the corner, the trio discovered the virtuoso slowly backing away from a mighty, impressive lion. Alongside it, other large animals, including a gorilla, bear, elephant and panda, drew closer in a circular formation around him, as if making to surround him. He was quickly running out of places to retreat to, and the animals stalked ever more diligently towards him. 

“G-g-guys?” Lute’s trembling eyes widened as he saw them.