The crowd had swelled to a thousand strong when the bell loudly tolled 13. Yulio resisted the urge to check his pocket watch as he stood to the side of the grand tent. Callista was on stage, and Yulio knew how she hated to be interrupted during her tricks. It was bad enough with all the humans taking pictures of her acts with their blasted phones. The wards on the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the small circus would see the photos were scrambled in the morning, and the guests would not remember being at the circus- only that they had a fun night out with friends.

It had to be so- by the Keeper's order.

So Yulio gave Callista a curt nod as she continued her act, letting her know to finish up the performance when she was able. He slipped out through the folds of the tent, making his way to the Keeper's pavilion for the night's instructions.

The old man sat inside an unadorned tent, the sign on the front proclaiming the act inside was closed for the evening. The Keeper's arms, legs and face were all wrinkled leather beneath the folds of his heavy coat, the wisps of white hair all that remained after centuries of aging. He sat before an open fire, an old kettle boiling with water over the flames. The air in the tent shifted and Yulio caught the smell of Passion Fruit. An newer tea, but the master enjoyed new things now and then.

"We are close tonight, Yulio," the old man said, seizing a cup from the ground. "I can feel it. Very close!"

We are always close, Yulio thought, his face scowling. Instead, he asked "Where shall we go tonight, Keeper?"

The old man paused, sniffed the air, and began pouring his tea. "I think you will go to the City Hall," he said. "Have the players assemble. The Harlequin has inducted a new player tonight. An important piece in the game. We must remove his new pawn before it is traded into a Queen."

Yulio bowed. "By your will," he said, turning to leave.

"Yulio."

The ringmaster paused, one hand on the tent flap.

"If you lose faith in me again, I will replace you."

Yulio did not respond to the comment and stepped through the tent. Outside, perched on a tree made of blackened steel, a flock of paper birds sat twittering away at one another, flapping and jumping from one branch to the next much to the amazement of a band of visitors. As one they all perked up as Yulio approached.

"Go to the players," he instructed. "They will finish their performances, and the guests must leave. We assemble tonight at the front gate before the clock strikes 14."

The birds bobbed their heads as one and took flight, scattering to the tents about them. Yulio checked his watch, noted the time, and began strolling toward the exit of the circus, his walking stick in one hand and top hat in another.

A new player for the Harlequin...

Tonight would be a dangerous night.

Barlow had finished up his performances much earlier than the rest of the crew, having been one of the first acts of the day, and had now reverted to wandering the tents with his cockatiel, Beans. The little fella had been restless all evening, and to tell the truth, Barlow was beginning to feel the same. He assumed it had something to do with the harlequin, as nothing else seemed to bring a chill to the air quite like this. The Keeper should have felt it too, no doubt, and probably knew the reasoning for it too, he thought a bit bitterly.

Despite agreeing to stay loyal to that man, Barlow still had problems with the amount of secrecy surrounding his current boss. He knew that it would continue to bother for probably the rest of the life he spent here, seeing as the Keeper was never inclined to share his secrets. It always left Barlow feeling bitter and cheated, like he deserved some sort of answer, but all he ever seemed to receive were backwards and roundabout comments and orders.

“Right on time, I suppose.” Barlow spoke lightly, and grinned sarcastically after catching sight of a small paper bird fluttering over the tents. It dipped and rose with the light breeze before eventually diving in his direction. The little creature landed on his shoulder, opposite of Beans, who seemed to dislike the little buggers almost as much as Barlow. He didn’t need to give the origami bird too much attention to understand the orders being given—they’d be going out tonight, to fight. He wanted to feel annoyed, or used, but all he really felt in his gut now was excitement.

“Almost time for the real show to start, eh, Beans?” Barlow smiled but didn’t turn to the bird, who had now crossed over to his other shoulder and promptly began tearing up the intruding paper bird with his tiny talons.

~ ~ ~

Tonight had been quite the lively night, at least for Faris, who was currently caked in frills and makeup while he sat at the side of one of the smaller tents, attempting to catch a break and enjoy the cooler evening air. In his lap sat a pair of tiny kiwi birds, both looking as happy to be outside as he was. He loved performing yes, almost more than he enjoyed air in his lungs, but even nights like these, where the tents were packed fuller than the bags of popcorn served, usually left the younger clown a little tuckered out.

“Mm, today was a good show, guys.” He talked joyfully to his little birds while feeding them little handfuls of birdseed that he often carried with him. He’d munch on it ever now and again too, but mainly kept it as a treat for his kiwi. “But we’ve gotta work on our steps. They were lookin’ a little sloppy.” He commented with a harder tone, and at that, both of the little birds in his lap stopped munching seeds and looked up at him. Their faces didn’t appear to give much emotion, but Faris seemed to be able to understand their body language perfectly clear. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s cause you ate too much popcorn earlier, isn’t it, Roger!” he shouted accursedly, though, all three knew he wasn’t honestly that mad. He loved his little kiwi birds like family, and knew they’d work harder if he asked them to.
The three of them just sat there and munched away at bird seen for a while then, enjoying their respite and watching the guests as they moved through the tents. Then, eventually, one of the tiny paper birds that Faris knew to answer to Yulio fluttered down beside his feet. It hopped around in the grass for a few moments before finally climbing into his lap beside Roger and Dodger. Neither of the little kiwi seemed to pay it any mind, and Faris only briefly smiled at it with the understanding of what it meant.

“We’re goin’ out tonight, boys!” he said excitedly, already feeling himself fill back up with energy. They’d be hunting for the Harlequin, which meant they’d get to explore the city a bit. This was always an exciting chance for Faris, who loved seeing knew things. “We should find Yulio!” he spouted then, suddenly scooping the now three birds into his arms and popping up from the ground, and promptly headed towards the gates.

"No matter how charming you may be, my services are quite costly, darling." A soft giggle from the female figure, as a gentle kiss was bestowed upon her snow white hand. The lips, upon parting from the maiden's hand, curved upward into a confident smile. Thomas, to whom the lips belonged to, raised his hand to the side of her neck and caressed it lightly. Ah, how the temptation was too great for the man, once called Jack the Ripper, to taint the lovely neck of this filth with a vivid scarlet by a single slit of his knife. But the blond was to remain patient for the reeling of his target to be successful before any rash actions were to be made.

The two figures were located at a less populated area of the circus grounds but precautions were needed to be taken nonetheless, causing a ruckus even with the wards to take care of the witnesses' memories would still cause quite the trouble for the circus. Besides, the serial killer would not allow himself to have a witness of sort ever catch him in the act, though it was a different story if a poor circus crew ever peeked into his personal tent to see what remained of his horrendous acts.

"My lovely lady, worry not about the fee I will have to supply later, let us enjoy this wonderful evening together. It may leave you breathless at the joy we'll be having. Shall we move onto a more private setting?" Thomas' arm directed towards his personal tent as the two slowly walked with his lead, a forced chuckle released from his lips while the maiden flashed a bashful smile. Along the path towards their destination, the number of people thinned, as well as the lively noise from the crowd of customers softened. Almost there. A little more and she'll be mine.

Upon reaching the front of his tent, Thomas grinned in a slightly eerie manner as his hand rested on the female's shoulder. The knife concealed within the sleeve of his black long coat slowly crept out as his other hand made gestures behind him to take control of the metal. Before the knife thrower was able to escort the lady inside, a bird constructed out of paper came fluttering down to his eyes' range, much to the man's disappointment. The grin soon was wiped from his face as Thomas clicked his tongue in irritation before pressing the maiden's shoulder away from the entrance of his tent.

"Tsk, how unfortunate. Milady, forgive me but it seems I have an appointment to attend to. Please take your leave as soon as able as well, the circus will be closed for the evening. Farewell." As rude as it might seem, the circus performer turned on his heel and left the confused woman before she could have any say on it. He did not hold any regard to what she may have thought or would have reacted since the act was pointless if Thomas could not perform the finale with the blood of the prostitute on his hands. The paper bird continued to fly along side him with no clue as to what happened, before a knife diagonally slashed the poor messenger in half. The remnant of the bird descended to the ground as the knife thrower continued to pace towards the front gate.

---

X. Wheel of Fortune. In its upright position.

"...... A dramatic change from the established order... How soon will such change take place?" Purple gaze stared down at the resulted card before her in thoughtful silence. The last customer of the day had long gone before Charlotte started to set her tarot cards to foretell the current fate for the circus. Now, she was troubled by the result of her own foretelling, the accuracy of her fortune telling were always spot on after all, even with how vague they were. The fortune teller's lips parted again to speak, as her eyes shut close, "And would the change be in our favor... or theirs?"

"Alright, I shall be on my way to the front gate momentarily. Thank you for the message." Seconds before the paper bird entered, the violet haired lady already knew exactly five seconds ahead of his entry. Figuring it could be related to the conflict against the Harlequin's minions, Charlotte prepared a shoulder bag and a waist strap full of healing and harmful potions, as well as charms to boost fighting luck. After seeing to it that she was fully prepared, she motioned for the bird to follow her as the maiden quickly made her way to the front gate. The fortune teller noticed another crew member walking at their own, slow pace in front of her until she caught up to realize it was the knife thrower. "I assume you've gotten Yulio's message as well, Thomas?"

"Hm? Ah, why, if it isn't miss Charlotte! And as I've been reminding you, Tom would suffice. Or Jack, if you'd prefer for humor's sake. We are crew mates after all, no need for formalities. And that's right, but I've gotten rid of the pesky bird similar to yours." The blond knife thrower casually responded as he continued his slow pacing to which the fortune teller had to adjust to, to be able to converse with him side by side. The front gate was already at sight from where they were, a couple of the circus members were already on stand by. They were to join them momentarily but Charlotte replied before raising her pace once more to reach the gate.

"By this point in time, I'm adjusted to addressing you as Thomas, unfortunately. But if it bothers you, I suppose I can try Tom from now on. But poor little one, do consider next time that someone put effort into creating them. ...And stay alert for tonight's conflict, I feel a bad omen around this evening."

Cassie hummed softly as she brushed Spirit's flank. She always insisted on caring for her horses herself, especially after a performance. The horse dropped its head slightly to nuzzle her shoulder and she smiled, giving the animal one last affectionate pat.

"A decent show tonight," she murmured. Her mind started to drift back to her act as she checked her horses were comfortable for the night. There was a new trick she wanted to start working on tomorrow - the Cossack Death Drag.

Sable lifted his head, snorting. Cassie looked up, catching a glimpse of white a second before a small origami bird fluttered down to land on the fence next to her. So. It seems that we have a real show tonight. She gave a slight smile as she packed her brushes away.

The slightest ripple of movement travelled along her back and arms, tiny wisps of colour drifting up into the air and disappearing like smoke as the tattoos on her skin changed; the painted birds spread their wings in preparation of a hunt, the tightly curled petals of a rosebud half-unfurled.

She was smiling as she made her way to the gate.

Yulio paused to check his watch regularly, gazing at the human guests who left through the front gates. The attendants, mindless men and women of wax and clockwork who never spoke and always stood silent, began to lock the gates and seal the tents behind the mortal revelers. The Circus was closed for the evening and would not return again- not for the foreseeable future. One by one the paper birds returned to perch on his shoulder, and one by one Yulio unfolded them to reveal a name- it seemed many of the performers would be unable to join them tonight. Either their shows had gone poorly or they were not up for the hunt.

One way or another, the show would go on.

The antique watch in his hand ticked away, and as the moon above rose higher into the sky, the lights around Yulio seemed to dim. His vision focused on the city, its glittering electrical points of light extending across the horizon, until he caught wind of that otherness which defined the hunt- where the Circus seemed to revel in excitement and awe of showmanship, the Harlequin found his roots in the trickery and devilry of a young con man from America. Like the Loki and Coyote of old lore, the creature delighted in promising Paradise, only to tear the rug beneath one's feet to reveal the Pit.

The birds he'd sent across the city this night bore fruit as one reported back to Yulio, seeing through its eyes, the vision of a woman- plain clothed for a night out this summer. Dark-haired, wide eyed, and sweating profusely. Like a club goer who'd imbibed a bad batch of drugs. The difference here being the dark strings that rose from her wrists and ankles and the circle she was drawing at the foot of the Vienna State Opera House with a tube of lipstick.

She plans to open a gate, then, Yulio thought with a frown. And she'll do it e'en before we leave.

Snapping out of his reverie, he closed the watch, clapped twice and summoned one of the wax attendants.

"Bring the carriage and fix four horses."

The attendant wordlessly bowed and walked off to the animal tent. Meanwhile, Yulio turned toward the first to arrive.

@shaitarn "Cassandra," he muttered, removing his hat whilst in the lady's presence, "I will need you to ride alongside the carriage. The Harlequin will have many minions on the field afore we even leave the circus. Keep pace- we go to the old City Opera house. You must ride round the field to keep the minions close and prevent them from causing mischief throughout the city. I do not want a repeat of London if possible."

@Amaterasu "Thomas." Yulio placed his cap back on. "We hunt a woman who is enthralled to the Harlequin. After you cut the Bonds which hold her, I hope you will refrain from your... usual activities until our job is done. And Charlotte, divine what you can of this woman on our way there. If we cannot cut the bonds, we will have to force her out of the Harlequin's sway."

@Fumari "Barlow, Faris, you will keep the minions of the Trickster from Thomas while he breaks the bonds. I will assist you in that endeavor."

The instructions given, the animal tent opened while a black carriage trimmed with gold barreled out, four white horses fixed and ready while the wax automaton held the reins. Yulio opened his jacket, plucked a pair of paper birds from a silk pocket and let them flutter into the air- one for the driver and one for Cassandra. Both would home in on the bird at the Opera House, leading them to their quarry.

"Before we leave, are there any questions from any of you?"

Cassie almost rolled her eyes at what she thought of as overdone courtesy on Yulio's part - she hadn't considered herself a lady for a very long time - but she knew there was no point in protesting the Ringmaster's action; he came from an age where such deference was expected, and even if she wasn't sure it should be applied to herself she had to privately admit she liked to see some gentility in an increasingly coarse age.

She listened to his instructions in silence. A slight frown clouded her brow at his mention of London - that had been a bad night, one that still occasionally haunted her nightmares. "I'll stop them," she promised quietly, grimly.

Cassie glanced around at the other performers, waiting to see if any of them had any questions before dashing back to fetch one of her horses.

While the ringleader briefly explained the operation for the hunt tonight, the knife thrower idly flicked a knife in air, spinning it midair before catching it safely in his hand. This casual play continued until his name was brought up by their leader, causing him to shake his head and shrug as he responded, "Oh Yulio, you should be aware by now that my usual 'activities' don't involve just any woman I lay my eyes on. Why, if that were the case, this circus could have been wiped clean of the existence of females." He snickered in a creepy manner but held up his hand abruptly as if to stop the other from giving him a scolding lecture and continued. "But not to worry, that last bit was merely a joke. And of course, loyalty to 'The Keeper' above all else and fulfillment of my duties."

The female clairvoyant beside Thomas shook her head and sighed at his dark humor without a hint of fear. This sort of behavior became normal to her after years of being acquainted with the twisted, former doctor. After her own instructions were given, Charlotte nodded her head with a calmed yet slightly troubled expression. "I will try, but without having a look at her appearance or her name, it could pose a challenge to my foretelling. If there are any clue to her being, it would be helpful." Shoving a hand into her shoulder bag, the maiden rummaged through her belongings to pull out a crystal ball, ready to be of use to the team.

“Awe yeah! We’re playing defense!” Faris whooped after listening through Yulio’s directions. He wondered briefly why they couldn’t just kill the woman involved if they couldn’t cut her bonds, but didn’t question the ringleader’s decision. It wouldn’t affect him any in the end, and as long as he had his own job to do, he didn’t really care either.

Faris smirked while he set Roger and Dodger back on the ground, where both of them began to shake like little alarm clocks. The sound of ripping bit the air briefly, and in the next second both the size of ostriches, though still just as chubby and thickly feathered.

“You can ride Dodger if ya want, Barlow.” Faris called to the older carny while he himself climbed onto Roger’s back. The brown kiwi didn’t seem too enthralled with the boy pulling at his feathers to get on, but otherwise didn’t make much noise.

~ ~ ~

“Got it.” Barlow smirked after receiving his directions, thankful that he’d gotten one of the easier jobs. Dealing with tricksters was a bit harder than dealing with thugs, sure, but he’d never minded the challenge. He briefly sent a grin over to Thomas before responding to Faris’ invitation.

“Thanks.” He responded happily while approaching the white kiwi. The bird didn’t mind Barlow any more than it minded its owner; he wondered if maybe it was because the kid had offered, or if it was because they really just didn’t mind him too much.