Oookay guys, this one is more like AU, than a hobby, but I hope you'll like it, because I had a lot of work with this and it's my favourite one yet, so I'm expecting lots of comments down here! Have a good day, everyone!

Jupiter looked at his watch and adjusted his top hat. "We start in a few minutes, where's Morrigan?"
"I'm here! I'm here, I... I was away to... Help Chanda..." I ran to the entrance of the arena and gasped.
Jack grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes: "Take it easy. We still have time, just take it easy, okay?"
I nodded silently, still catching for breath.
Jack was wearing the first of the acrobatic costumes. Black tank top and washed gray jeans. He had a red shirt around his waist.
I took a deep breath, smoothed out the same black top and looked at the gray jeans and chequed red shirt I had around my hips.
Someone from the staff hastily dumped juggling bottles at our feet. My gray suede boots reflected in them in the dim light.
I quickly picked them up and looked at Jupiter who was wearing a black shirt and a pink tuxedo, colors of Circus Deucalion.
"We can start."
- At least I hope so, - I added in my mind, even though I myself did not understand why I was so afraid. Juggling wasn't the hardest performance Jupiter could give us first, but... Still. I was nervous. I didn't do well today. I'm kind of nauseous and distracted all day, and...
Jupiter patted me sympathetically on the shoulder and entered the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, girls, boys, Wunimals. Welcome tonight, to another one of Cricus Deucalion's extravagant performances! You will see acrobats, tightrope walking, the wheel of death, horse dressage, a jester, like no other circus in the world has, a hypnotist who will transform our arena to the ZOO, and much more. But to start with something lighter, ladies and gentlemen, our main circus duo, Crow-Korrapati!"
I took the silver juggling cones in my hands and with a smile - which slowly stopped being fake - I ran into the arena with Jack on my right.

★★★

I don't even know how, I found myself back in the preparation tent. Frank ran past us into the marquee.
I calculated that we had about four minutes to change clothes and get ready to climb the rope.
I quickly threw on a two-piece Egyptian outfit and got my shoes off.
I hastily washed off my dark gray eyeshadow and lined my eyes with kohl. Then I got up and ran out of the dressing room. I didn't even say hello to Chanda, Martha and Fen.
I had to meet with Jack in front of the entrance to the arena. He was also in Egyptian with bare chest and had bare feet, just like me.
Kedgeree and Charlie came out of the tent with a dressage of horses. Kedge led the animals away, but Charlie stayed and grabbed our shoulders: "Stretch it out a bit, so I can make it, okay?"
We both nodded and Charlie ran into the man's lockers.
Jack handed me the bottle of oil and looked through the crack in the curtain. He stepped back and stood next to me. "They're already preparing it all."
I looked back towards the changing rooms. "He won't make it."
"Nevermind, he'll slip in there afterwards. We won't need him at first. They'll all be looking at the fire and then up at us. No one will notice if he comesa bit late, don't worry."
"But..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, something from another theme now again. Ancient Egypt!"
Jack squeezed my shoulder and trotted to the curtain. We broke it open at once and ran inside.

Dramatic music began to play and the lights dimmed. The attendants on both sides of the entrance handed me and Jack two sticks each, lit at both ends.
We slowly moved forward and turned to face each other.
The music sped up.
I spun one of the sticks and threw it into the air. Jack mirrored my movements. I jumped up and caught it. I jerked my hand to the right, struck a dance pose... We went on like this for a while, then took the fire in our hands and carried it in the palm, each to one of the two torches that stood in front, stuck in the ground. I "swallowed" my fire from my chopsticks while Jack smothered his flames in his palms.
Then we took the torches and blew the blazing flame towards the audience.
I looked back at Jack.
Charlie still hasn't arrived.
He turned and walked towards the metal structure. The show must go on. So we continue.
I jumped onto the structure and climbed onto the platform.

We performed serious tricks on the rope, on the hands, blindly, backwards... It took a few minutes, but then finally the gong sounded and Charlie entered the arena, dressed - just like Jack - as an Egyptian porter.
He climbed briskly onto the left platform, and the personnel from below handed him a pole with two shoulder hooks on either end.
"And now, the number we do as the only circus in Unnamed Realm... The High Rope Pyramid!" Jupiter announced as Jack and Charlie shouldered the bar.
I climbed the railing, stood exactly in the middle of the stick and spread my arms. I tried as much as possible to help Jack, who was standing in front. In the morning we fell while doing this, gosh, it must seem so easy to those who didn't see me crash down, we have to make it...
But they both did a great job and carried me over the rope to the other side.
Jack took the pole off his shoulders, leaned it against the railing, and gave me a hand to help me down.
When we got down to the ground, the silence in the audience was replaced by loud applause and shouts. We bowed and ran out of the arena again, where Martha, dressed as a waitress, immediately headed. She will be juggling plates on the sticks.
We headed for the robes and slipped into ours.
"Morrigan, maybe you should get some cool down," Fenestra addressed me.
"Can't. You're getting in there after me, you have more time, but I..." I said before washing the make-up off my eyes again. I put on the third costume, combed my hair and hastily made a thin braid near my left cheek.
"Fenestra is right, darling," Chanda said, walking out of the dressing room. She obviously didn't want to get into an argument.
"I'll tell Jupiter that... Ow! Hssss!" Fenestra began, but then hissed because I stepped on her tail in my haste, even though I was only wearing textil trainers.
"Sorry Fen," I called after her as I ran out of the room again.
Jack caught up with me in front of the entrance. He was also wearing a new costume. Black shirt with short sleeves and pink sequins on the shoulders. On his feet were textil trainers and black trousers on his legs. A small bag of crushed chalk dangled from his wrist.
I smoothed out a short black shirt. A black tight-fitting t-shirt decorated just like Jack's, had a few long, gray, Magnificat tussocks on it.
I quickly collected them and Jack gave me the chalk. I applied it to my hands and when Chanda came out of the arena with a squirrel on her shoulder, I noticed that they were lowering the ropes and fixing the American wheel.
I sat down on a bench by the wall of the tent and looked ahead.
Jack squatted in front of me and grabbed my bare knees: "Hey, come on. You can do it. You're amazing!" I swalloved. Man, how much I hate the American wheel. But Jack gave my knees a little shake. "C'mon, I believe in you."
"Jack, how come you always trust me like this?"
He lowered his head, but I saw it. He was smiling. "Well..."
"And now, dear friends, I present to you... American Wheel of Death!" came from the arena. My stomach dropped at the announcement, but then I felt Jack's hand on my shoulder. "Come on. Let's make Deucalion proud."
I nodded and we headed to the tent.

When I entered the pink-lit arena, my breath quickened. The two-arm spinner looked even bigger and taller than ever before.
Jack headed for the left shoulder, entered the hoop and rocked the structure. I stood still for a while - I was waiting for the wheel to spin enough for me to jump. After a while I ran and jumped into the right hoop. At first we just jumped in spinning circles. We hung onto them, then climbed out of them and spun the structure faster and faster.
When Jack's hoop was up, he jumped out of it, somersaulted in the air, and grabbed the rope that hung from the top of the marquee. Soon, I jumped after him. He grabbed my hand and we went down in slow circular motions.
I trusted Jack, I really trusted him the most. I had to. But when you're up in the air, ten meters above the ground, and your life hangs on one person's hand, you're a little bit afraid, right?
When my toes touched the ground, I let go of Jack's hand so he could jump off the rope too.
The audience began to applaud.
We both bowed and waited for the applause to stop...
... but when Jack kissed my cheek, the noise increased even more.
My knees buckled from the surprise and I almost fell. But only almost. Jack held me around my shoulders and together we ran away from the arena.

"I have something to tell you," Jack began as we stopped just outside the entrance a moment later and Fenenstra walked past us into the tent.
He was holding both of my hands, a drop of sweat was dripping down his right nap. His eyes were sparkling and his lips smiling.
I also felt a smile on my face. I nodded: "Me too."
"Really? What is it?"
I gave him a quick kiss before he could notice and looked at the entrance to the tent. "That we have about two and a half of a second to change clothes and get ready for the next discharge."
When he heard this, he fixed an urgent look on me, grabbed my hand and we sprinted again, towards the dressing rooms.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting.

-Amelia Atwater-Rhodes-