There was something new in town, something strange and yet very interesting. The circus would only open after midnight, that's why it was called the Night Circus and they had a lot of small black and white tents that had some strange magic going on inside of them. There were something of about fifteen small tents around the terrain, but the insides could be enormous.

Lacie planned to go as soon as she heard about it but it was ridiculous if you concider the time. It was not the time to hang out as a lady. You would never know what could happen when you were alone. However since she was curious enough, she didn't let it stop her. She had to go and see what was going on. So it did happen that at the openings night she was standing outside the ticket booth, she had just bought her ticket to enter and was staring at the map in her hand. Fiftheen small tents, there was a huge carousel. A bit obvious for a circus or it was more of a festival thing but Lacie didn't care, as long as it was a beautiful thing she might enjoy that. There were a lot of couples here and she felt a bit longely for the first time, she had always been together with her mother or other family members. She quickly shook her head and checked out the rest.

You had a tent with acrobats, one with jars that had smells for every memory that was written on them. She raised her eyebrow at that description but continued on, a rollercoaster as a stargazer, an ice garden, a labyrinth, an illusionist, a tent of clues; the description pointed out that there were stars on the tents canvas and if you counted them all and had the correct number you could win a prize. It sounded ridiculously difficult.

She took a few steps to enter the surrounded area of the tents of black and white. No idea where to start because she didn't even finish reading the complete map. She walked to the biggest open tent in the middle where they sold food and drinks and she ordered a hot chocolate to warm up her hands and took a picnic bench to sit on and continue with the map.  

The whole concept of the circus did surprise her, there was an aquarium, where you could swim with the fish and other seacreatures, and once you were done, you would be completely dry. A tent where you could listen to orchestra, made by wind mages. A tent where you could join a ship as if you were on the seven seas and probably much more that she missed since the map said there were hidden pleasures and treasures. Artists that gave shows in the middle of the public with tigers, normal cats or other sorts of performance.

It all did sound lovely and yet Lacie sat on a picnic bench with a hot chocolate, all by herself.

Aleksandr had heard that there was a Circus in town today, bored and having nothing to do, he was of course gonna visit it and maybe have some fun. He was having kind of a phase nowadays, to dress up like a nerd and experience what they did and what happened to them, so he won’t fight back to anybody that ‘bullies’ him. Dressed up in a buttoned-up checked shirt and a sweater with slate grey pants and sneakers, he was wearing eye-glasses, mostly just for show. He was in a rather good mood today and looked at the tens as he roamed around, he didn’t know what tent to choose to go to first and looked around in confusion finally deciding to get something to drink, he walked to the middle, to the biggest tent and got himself a soda pop. He then sat on a picnic bench nearby him, it was the picnic bench next to which a girl was sitting on, she had orange hair.

Before he could even get a sip of the soda, two muscular, large males and a woman walked to his bench and sat on it without his permission, one of them snatched his soda can as he looked at the man as the man tried to scare him and he acted as if he was scared, he was a good actor so it would seem natural. The guy who had snatched his soda sat beside him and the woman and the other guy sat in front of him, the guys began teasing him, he wanted to punch them in the face but well, he was doing it for kicks. Suddenly, the other guy and the girl started making out and Alek looked at them, he cringed and headbanged on the table and the guy who snatched his soda pushed the empty can into his face, he cringed and now fed up with their bullshit, he said “Gosh, if you’re gonna make out? Get a room.” Well that were his final words on the bench as they threw him off the bench and laughed at him, he crashed beside the bench with the orange haired girl (Looking at you here, Lacie.) and sat up, he rubbed his nose and sat on the corner of the bench, trying to relax just a bit, he asked her “May I just sit here for a while please?”

Lacie had at first no eyes for the bullies and the blonde young man. She was swallowed by the map, or so it felt. She tried to picture everything. However since not all the descriptions were very broad, she didn't really know what to expect. She was tapping her chin with her right index finger when she heard loud laughter and looked up. The bench in front of her now contained three people that definitely didn't seem like nice people. She thought she even recognized one of them as the guy that harrassed her when she was giving out flyers for the welcome committee. She had an angry frown on her face as she looked at them before she noticed someone almost next to her got up and sat on the edge of her bench. Now she understood why the people on the opposite bench where laughing so loud.

She turned to look at the young man that asked her nicely, "Of course." her angry frown was replaced by a worried one, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She didn't understand that people could be so cruel to others. What was wrong with this guy, nothing? So leave him alone. But she didn't say all these things out loud. She was always nice when she spoke out loud. Her mind on the other hand was already in rage. When she pictured her twin sister, she imagined people like them and that's why she hated them. However Alice was dead, thank god, and she should let it go.

She folded the map and wondered if it was too much to ask this handsome man to see the circus with her. She wasn't so straight forward but she could at least try something, "Are you waiting for someone?"

Aleksandr rubbed his head as he looked and smiled at the woman, he said "Thank you!" before starting rub his head, his head got hurt by the wedge of the bench, having thrown didn't hurt, but that did. A light bruise appeared on the back of his head, he pressed it and it hurt. The woman seemed a bit worried for his health or so it seemed, he said "I'm alright, thanks for asking." as he settled a bit into the bench and looked at 'bullies' who threw him off his bench, he was gonna get them after the circus was over and smack their asses, doing stuff like this for kicks didn't make him weak at all, he just wanted to experience all of this.

The woman asked if he was waiting for someone, he was here alone and wasn't really waiting for anyone, so he said to her "No, I'm not waiting for anyone." and looked down at the table, he smiled and then took out a pen from his breast pocket and wrote on a tissue paper 'Meet me after the circus is closed in the morning.' while hiding it from the woman, he folded it and threw it on the opposite table, where they read it, looked at him and then in front of them, they were giggling, he could hear it.

Aleksandr hadn't really introduced himself to the woman he was sitting on the bench with, he introduced himself "I'm Aleksandr, pleased to meet you." and smiled as he offered his hand for a handshake. His hands were kinda cold.

Lacie eyed the person that joined her bench. It wasn't really her bench but yeah she was sitting on it. She was still wondering if she should offer to heal him, but that was a bit of nonsense if he said he was alright. She followed his gaze to the bench opposite them with the people that pushed him off, even though as far as she could remember (since she hasn't been paying attention), he was sitting there first. It was his problem, to be honest, not hers. God would punish them all. She was a hundred percent sure of that. Especially if someone innocent and friendly as this guy was hurt by stupid arrogant bullies.

She asked if he was waiting for someone. She hadn't even said her name yet, she wasn't entirely sure why she should. Especially not if he was waiting for someone, but he said he wasn't and continued to write on a piece of paper. She sighed softly and turned back to look at the map again that she had just folded. Thank god it wasn't a big one. She wasn't sure what to do, she didn't want to go alone. Especially not with people like those on the other bench around. She looked up in surprise however when Aleksandr, as he just introduced himself. She hesitated at first but shook his hand while adding her own name, "Lacie, pleasure to meet you too." Why was everyone always first with introducing themselves? Where were her manners? She could curse herself, if she would do that, but she would rather not.

It was time to be a bit more brave and just ask, it wasn't like he was going to throw her off a bench right. As soon as the handshaking was over, she quickly wrapped her hand around the warm hot chocolate, since his hand was cold, "Maybe a strange question since we barely know each other but would you like to see the circus? Together?" She sort of stared at him, trying to look indifferent about his possible yes or no answer. She would see, she could always leave and come back later if she found someone.

Aleksandr sighed and sat quiet on his set after they had exchanged names and shook hands, he was quite bored and not in a very good mood, you can say he is in a neutral mood; not very good or not very bad. He started to hum a song and closed his eyes as he put his head down on the bench, trying to relax a bit. That was the reason he was startled when the woman, Lacie asked him asked him if he wanted to see the circus with her, he suddenly put his head up and he got a jerk in the neck, he grabbed his neck and then answered her after hesitating a bit, seeing as he barely knew her but he was bored and what could possibly go wrong?, he spoke - "Oh, sure. I'm free anyways." as he slapped his neck once and then looked up, he said to her - "I'm going to and get something to drink, but anyways, where do you suggest we go first?"

After he had asked her that, he walked to the stalls and got himself a Coca-cola can, he started drinking it while walking back to the bench he was sitting on and then sat on it again, he sighed and started gulping the Coca-Cola slowly because, he simply liked to drink it slower than other people. His neck was fine by now and he was feeling better than before.

His answer was a positive one. But that didn't mean that Lacie was relaxed, she muttered a prayer for herself while looking at the table. She didn't know him apart from his name. Aleksandr, not a name you heard everyday but neither was Lacie. Besides he had added that he was free and well they were both at a circus, it would make sense to visit it. and why go alone if you could enjoy the possibility of going together and share some fun. She might be able to ask him a few questions to get to know him better.

She nodded when Aleksandr pointed out he would buy a drink first, "I'll check the map again." she said as she looked at all the tents that were there. Instead of looking at each and everyone and wonder what it was about, she simply checked out the names and wondered what would be the most interesting thing to do. And maybe what wouldn't be really awkward, what would Aleksandr like. Which was difficult to guess if you didn't know the person and could only guess on his looks. She frowned, Carousel? Nah too much for couples, same was the aquarium and the ice garden. "What do you like?" she simply decided to ask him when he returned with his coca cola. She showed him the map in case he had not seen it, "Would you like to see the labyrinth?" It was the most active thing she could think about.

OOC:

Finishing his drink, he tossed the can into a nearby trashcan and then looked at Lacie and answered her "I really don't know." He smiled as she suggested to visit the labyrinth, he nodded and said, "Yeah, that'll work." and sat down beside her. He scratched the back of his neck and looked at Lacie, he asked her "Which way is it?" and then added, "Or maybe you could lead the way." Fixing his eyeglasses, he patiently waited for an answer from the redhead with a rather blank look on his face.

Aleksandr looked around the place, too many couples and you know what's interesting? He hated couples with a passion. Maybe his hatred was born out of envy because they had someone in his life and he didn't. Maybe he didn't want to? Maybe he couldn't take the responsibility that comes with relationships? He wasn't too much of a guy who takes responsibilities. He had started to understand that in this phase of his life, there wasn't a need for relationships. He was a cop and his duties came first even though he had been ignoring them. He had that area to work on, he needed to help people and contribute to the community.

Lacie had boldly asked a stranger to go and see this circus with her. Since she wanted to see everything she would simply suggest one, not entirely sure where to start but the Labyrinth might take most of their time. Aleksandr agreed and came sit next to her and she pointed out the Circus tent on the map that she had, she folded it in a way that she would keep it as small as possible but still see the route that they needed to follow. Even though she believed the circus would use signs.

She got up from the bench and simply guided herself and Aleksandr to the tent with the labyrinth. It was magic, because the tent from the outside didn't look that big but once she stepped inside it looked like a huge tent and the walls were made out of bookshelves. They were welcomed by a guy who was dressed in black and white, he explained that they would simply have to find the exit and that there were traps along the way. "Good luck." Lacie turned to look at Aleksandr after the gesture to start, "I heard that you have to keep your right hand at the wall, so you never get lost."

OOC:

Alek looked at the Circus tent that Lacie had pointed out on the map and nodded. He spoke in a tenor voice "Alright." and started following her. He took his eyeglasses off and put them in his breast pocket. As soon as they reached the labyrinth, he took a deep breath and looked inside. He was walking right behind Lacie as they walked in. A man said that they would have to find the exit and wished them luck. Alek just sighed and looked at the path that they would be taking. He heard Lacie say something "Oh? Well, I'm not gonna be edgy here I'm actually going to keep my right hand on the wall."


Alek looked at the path once again and then looked at Lacie, maybe she would lead the way. He wasn't scared or anything, he just didn't like leading people until it was necessary. He started to walk while keeping his right hand on the wall, trying not to get lost. He smiled as he looked forward, he was leading the way right now, maybe Lacie would take over in a bit.

The Labyrinth wasn't that difficult since Lacie had known a trick, they still had to be careful for some traps but obviously they weren't that dangerous since it was also for children. As was the rest of the circus, quite strange if it was held at midnight or well in the night, as their name said. She didn't want to go to the rollercoaster, she didn't want to admit her fear of heights but there was still the aquarium, which was really fun as you simply swam between the fish. When she stepped out of the tent, she was completely dry, not one drop of water thanks to the aquarium. She liked Magic that way. The Ice Garden was beautiful too but she didn't understand very well what Aleksandr thought about it, since well they didn't talk much in general. She was simply glad that she wasn't alone. She thanked him dearly for when they had seen most and were simply tired/done or whatever reason. "It was really nice to meet you." She said her goodbye and left to go to her room in the inn.

Exit.

After they finished and exited the Labyrinth, they went to other attractions at the circus-like The Ice Garden being an example. They also went to the Aquarium, a place he loved. He liked Water. The Ice Garden was also good for him as he loved Ice. He came from an icy place in the north, of course, he did. He had fun, but they didn't talk much. Both of them just concentrated on the circus, at least Alek did. While he wanted to get to know her, he was very socially awkward. Especially with girls. So, he had decided that it would be better to talk as less as one possibly could. When they were finished, she said that it was nice to meet you and Alek replied "It was nice to meet you too." and then they parted ways. Alek beat up the bullies later that day. When he reached his inn room, he instantly fell asleep after laying down on the bed.

[Exit]