Day 1 (Part 3/3)

Namjoon only grabbed his keys when he left the mansion, deciding that the air was warm enough to go with his button-down, dress pants and Gucci sandals. Nervously, he fiddled with the metal tag in his pocket. Would the other still wait for him? After all, it was already past ten.

When he reached the green area with the giant tent, he could already see the light-blue mob of hair underneath the entrance, and his shoulders relaxed. The area was dimly lit by the lanterns on the ways around the grass and radiated calmness and a certain kind of satisfaction and easiness. When he came close enough to detect more than the bright hair and white skin, he was positively surprised by the outfit of the magician. The ragbag-coat and mismatched shoes were gone, replaced by a double-breasted suit jacket with golden buttons and golden highlights over a black t-shirt and black leather shoes. Only his black jeans were ripped, but, in a way, it looked cool and fashionable.

"Lemme guess," the raspy voice made him stop staring, "You thought the coat from this morning was my normal outfit." With a wry grin, the magician dragged on a black cigarette and breathed out pink smoke. Confused, Namjoon tried to process the view.

"Y-Yeah," he stumbled out.

"That was my gown, idiot!" the blue-haired growled and flicked the ciggy into the dark. A sweet scent and pink dust surrounded them. Did the other really just call him an idiot? What did he do to deserve such rudeness? He was about to ask when the smaller continued talking.

"Did you bring the checkroom tag?"

"Yes," Namjoon answered and showed him the metal plug he had played with all the time.

"Perfect. Follow me," the blue-haired said and turned around to enter the tent. Curious, Namjoon obeyed his host, and when he stepped through the curtains, he found himself in a small foyer-like area, on his right the checkroom. The magician already stood behind the counter.

The smaller stretched out a hand and Namjoon gave him the tag, a little sad that he had to let go of it. He had grown strangely attached to it. With his palm, the blue-haired smashed the metal plug onto the counter table, making in dissolve into fine white dust, and suddenly the wardrobe rail behind him started to move. Pieces and pieces of clothes rushed past them, and Namjoon started to wonder where all those outfits came from and why they were still here when there obviously was no show and therefore no audience. After what felt like a minute, the clothes stopped moving and the smaller stepped in front of the rail to examine their numbers.

"Uh, nice one," he heard him mumble when he got out a hanger with something yellow. The host turned around and handed him the outfit. It was a yellow bear costume with strange wings and edible paws and head.

"What the-" he began startled.

"That's your work outfit for the next time. In case you accept my offer." His work outfit? Offer? What the hell was this weird guy talking about? He definitely would not wear this silly bear costume for anything.

"Don't worry. For now, you can stay in your normal clothes," the magician explained and gestured him to follow him behind the counter.

This was too confusing. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but nothing left his mouth. His brain felt like jelly, and his thoughts were a wild, hazy mess. What was up with him? Why was this guy turning him into a mute by his mere actions? He loved to talk, but right now he felt like his tongue was numb. Defeated, he followed the smaller man's gesture and went behind the counter through the wing door to follow the magician through the backdoor. But instead of walking through the door the other stopped abruptly and Namjoon ran into him. With a loud thud the magician bumped against the door, forced forward by the impact.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Namjoon apologized and took a step back. There he went again with his clumsiness. If he had to point out one thing he hated about himself, it would be his disability to not destroy at least one thing per day. His mother had already given up on placing floral arrangements in the lobby, because her son would ruin them anyways. He was a catastrophe.

Seemingly disorientated by the knock on his forehead, the smaller shook his head and turned around to him. "No problem, it was my fault. It's just-" he turned towards the backdoor and pulled off a small post-it sticker, "that I put that on the door to remind me introducing myself properly." The magician showed him the little, yellow note that said 'Introduce yourself!'.

Amused, Namjoon snorted. This guy sure was strange. Should that not have been the first thing to do anyways? Well, blue hair and pink cigarette smoke might be a sign that his host most definitely was not normal.

"The name's Suga, the profession's magic," the blue-haired said and bowed slightly. "And I'm older than you."

A grin made its way on Namjoon's face. He liked the smaller. He was rude and grumpy, but also kind of cute. And maybe a little crazy. The other seemed to be everything he did not have in his normal life, and Namjoon had to admit that it was refreshing.

"Kim Namjoon, and I'm student," he introduced himself and bowed, too. "Why do you know you're older than me? Did you pickpocket my purse?" he joked, slowly getting back his capability to talk. But the response of the smaller man was unexpected.

"Maybe someday, I'll explain it to you," the older replied quietly and looked up to him. And for a moment Namjoon was taken aback by the age he could see in the smaller man's orbs; it was like looking into the eyes of an old, tired man. There seemed to be ages between them. But the moment was so short that he was not sure, if it had been his imagination. Instead, he gasped when he realized that one of the seemingly black orbs was softly shimmering in all colors of the rainbow. It reminded him of a fly's eye, many tiny hexagons that shimmered in different colors.

"What's with your eye?" he asked curiously. Was it just a contact lens? But it looked so lively and natural. The girls in his class would go crazy about it.

"Patience," was all the older said, before he turned around and finally opened the backdoor.

They stepped into a long hallway with several doors on the right. The way was curving, so Namjoon guessed it was guiding them around the tent. The walls were made of the same blue-striped fabric but looked quite massive. They were probably made of wood, just like the floor they were walking on.

"This is the part where the solo-performers live, or to be more precise: the performers who form the heart and soul of the circus," Suga explained.

"Will I meet them?" Namjoon asked and balanced the bear costume on the other arm. The bear's head was quite heavy.

"That depends on you," was the unsatisfying answer of the magician while they passed the rooms. The hallway ended at a door with the painted letters Suga, and the smaller pushed it open and let them in. With a snap of his fingers the lights turned on and a beautiful room became visible.

The walls still were covered with the striped fabric, but the color was slightly lighter, a nearly white blue. The textile shimmered like silk under the soft white glow of the wall lights and matched perfectly with the white-waxed wooden floor. The room was not big, and most of the space was occupied by a giant, plump couch, made of blue rough fabric, that had a circular shape and was built around a circular white coffee table with filigree legs. It almost looked like a soft couch-donut with several patterned pillows as sprinkles. Or maybe like a pool with white foam. The only other thing in the room was an open wall unit with books and magical tools and two big old-style wooden closets which guarded the commode in the middle. Where was the sound system and the TV? And did Suga sleep on the couch?

"Take a seat," the magician invited him.

He put the costume on the backrest of the couch and looked slightly irritated. How was he supposed to take a seat on the donut? Should he climb over the backrest to get in? In the next moment, the blue-haired sat himself on the backrest and just let himself fall backwards into the soft upholstery, doing something that looked like a failed reverse roll before he sat on the couch properly and smoothed the messed-up suit.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" the smaller growled, "I'm not flexible nor sporty, so I look funny when I take a seat on this couch. No need to judge me."

Namjoon chuckled amused and swung a leg over the backrest to climb in more elegantly. The twitching corners of the magician's mouth told him, he had failed to do so. But hell, who was one supposed to get into this donut-couch?

"Don't worry. Jin can't do it either," the blue-haired tried to comfort him. Who was Jin?

"Now..." Suga began, crossed his legs and pulled out a small case from which he took another of the black cigarettes, "You're here to get answers. Am I right?" He made a blue flame appear on his index and lit up the stick.

"Yes. But since I stepped into this tent, it only became more questions instead of answers," Namjoon replied. The thick, pink smoke wavered around them and made him light-headed with its sweet scent.

"I'm about to answer the simple ones in the next minutes. Like: What's the costume for? What's the offer I spoke about? And so on," the magician explained and Namjoon felt a little more at ease. At least he would not be so confused after the talk. "But we're not in school." The expression of the smaller became serious. "I won't tell you the way to solve the problem, neither will I give you facts. You're smart, use your brain."

Namjoon nodded. So, he apparently would not step out of this tent later and leave with the answer he longed for. Curious about what the magician had to offer him instead, he looked into the cat-eyes. Like he had all the time of the world, the magician ashed into the glass ashtray that stood on the white table. Had it been there before? Only now, Namjoon noticed the chess board that was crafted into the marble surface, white and light-blue squares. Confused, he shook his head. It was like the room was a little shy and just revealed its content step by step.

The attentive cat-eyes, that watched him, made him force his attention back to his host instead of giving in to his curiosity and scan the room for more things.

"The only thing I'll give you is an opportunity. A chance to find the answers by yourself," his opponent continued, and he nodded to show that he understood. "My offer is: work at our circus as long as we're in the city."

Startled, Namjoon tilted his head. Was this for real? The magician wanted him to work for them? Like a normal, average person? Like feeding animals and carrying stuff? He never had done something like that before, nor did he intend to. Dirty work never had appealed to him, and he sure as hell would not-

"You'd be like our intern," Suga clarified.

So, they would not even pay him for his work. Perfect... This was ridiculous. Why would working for a circus give him the answer to his problem? What would it tell him about the little dark chamber in his heart?

"I can see that you don't like my offer," the blue-haired said with a soft smile. "If you can't decide-"

"I'll do it," Namjoon interrupted him, rubbing over the bridge of his nose, and the smaller man's eyes widened in surprise. So, he had not expected him to jump in so easily? Well, what else could he do? This was the only opportunity to solve this problem once and for all. If he did not try, he would curse himself all his life for not taking the risk. The magician sounded like he could step out every time he wanted, so there was no problem, right?

"Well, then... Let me show you your room," the smaller said with a satisfied smile and placed the ciggy on the ashtray without killing it. Soft pink clouds raised from the end and Namjoon could not look away. The smoke seemed to form strange forms and motions; it seemed alive. When he looked closer, he could see that the end did not smolder red, but blue, the same blue he had seen on the flames on the magician's fingers before, the same blue his hair was dyed with. Like it followed a dark pulse, the glow became stronger and weaker. And the pictures and forms of the smoke became much clearer. Mesmerized, Namjoon stared at the black stick.

"Don't give in," the husky voice whispered close to his ear and snapped him out of his trance. Hell, what did just happen? Dizzy, he turned around.

The magician had already left the couch-pool, so Namjoon followed his host a little clumsy, giving the room a last glance. Did the other really sleep on the couch? Was that not uncomfortable? He would never change his king-size bed for a couch. But maybe it was easier when you're always traveling.

"What are you looking for?" the raspy voice asked from behind him.

"Nothing," Namjoon mumbled.

They left the room and Suga opened the one right beside them. It led into a much smaller room, maybe the size of a broom cabinet, with a small bed and some hooks on the wall as well as a chair. And that was it. The walls were striped as well, but completely white. At least the color was something Namjoon appreciated, but the size had to be a joke.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked the magician.

The other turned around to him and rolled his eyes, "You're not supposed to live here. That's where you can change into different clothes or take a nap, if necessary."

Well, then he would accept it. For a changing room it was big enough.

"I suggest you'll come for work in the evening after university?" the blue-haired asked, and Namjoon nodded. He would not neglect studying for this 'job'. Hopefully, he had enough energy after classes to do physical work.

"You can hang your work outfit on one of the hooks," the smaller suggested, but when Namjoon looked down, he realized that he had forgotten the costume in the magician's room. He was about to apologize when the blue-haired waved off the topic and gestured him out of the room instead.

"I'll show you the bathroom tomorrow," the older said when they were back in the hallway.

"Why do I have to wear that silly outfit? Can I choose another? Or can I work in my own clothes?" Namjoon asked while they walked next to each other.

"Oh, believe me. You would ruin your posh clothes while working. And you got something wrong there: You did not choose the outfit; the outfit chose you." A mysterious smile lay on the magician's face, and Namjoon would have sworn his rainbow-eye had glittered for a moment.

"But maybe we can leave the head and paws. They're kind of irritating me," the blue-haired mumbled, scratching his chin.

They stepped out of the tent and the night air cooled their skin.

"When will I start?" Namjoon asked.

"Tomorrow."

The taller nodded and bowed as a goodbye, seen as the older already leaned against one of the entrances pillars and pulled out another ciggy. What a bad habit.

>><<