"Why not?" I shrugged. The tickets were cheap, and a few extra coins wouldn't ruin me. "Go ahead."
"Thanks!" She pecked me on the cheek and dashed off to gather her companions. Heh. Suki really was something. One moment—a proud, stern commander; the next—a bright-eyed, delighted girl. The best part was that both sides of her were entirely natural and blended together perfectly.
The circus performance turned out to be quite impressive. The fire acts and the animal handlers would have made even the fakirs of my old world choke with envy. The clowns, admittedly, fell a bit flat—though that might have been on me; maybe I just didn't quite get some of the humor. The Kyoshi Warriors, for one, were laughing along with the rest of the audience without a care.
The acrobats, on the other hand, outdid even the fire performers. Granted, the last time I'd been to a circus back in my world, I'd still been a child, and my memories had long since faded—but what those boys and girls were pulling off dozens of meters in the air was nothing short of incredible!
One girl in particular stood out—fourteen, maybe fifteen. Her figure hadn't fully matured yet, but all the right curves were already there… yeah, definitely there.
"Hey, what are you elbowing me for?!" A jab to the ribs wasn't exactly pleasant.
"Stop devouring that acrobat with your eyes!" my charming commander hissed.
"Oh? Looks like someone's jealous," the warrior beside her giggled into her sleeve.
"Maybe," another chimed in, pressing the attack, "but you have to admit, Suki—the way that girl moves really is something."
"Oh, to hell with all of you," the valiant commander huffed. Still, that was the extent of her outrage—she clearly had no intention of storming out or making a real scene.
The fact that she retaliated by visually "undressing" the strongmen who had taken the stage—entertaining the crowd by twisting iron bars into bracelets and snapping chains (which, I suspected, had been conveniently weakened, and the metal was nowhere near weapon-grade… Alright, alright—I was impressed. And, yes, maybe just a bit envious of how effortlessly they handled something so heavy and solid.)—was a minor detail. As were the occasional glances she shot my way, clearly waiting for a reaction. Honestly… how childish.
"Well, well," I chuckled, continuing to watch the performance. "I suppose I should present that acrobat with a bouquet of flowers…"
"What for?" she snapped instantly.
"As a token of my admiration for her… talents."
That set off another round of giggling nearby, while our fearless commander hissed under her breath, clearly torn between continuing to pointedly ignore us while ogling the strongmen, snapping at me again, or knocking some sense into her subordinates.
"Hee-hee, Commander, looks like he's got the better of you," came the teasing voice from the ranks of the warriors.
"Traitors… Fine. I'll remember this," she muttered, apparently choosing the third option.
In any case, we didn't press the matter further and watched the rest of the show in peace. I had a feeling the warrior would get her revenge later—but I couldn't help myself. The way she fumed and bristled was just too amusing.
Hmm… could I be a latent sadist? Or a masochist, considering what would likely follow?
That might be worth thinking about.
Nevertheless, I kept my promise and, under Suki's irritated hissing, did in fact buy a bouquet of flowers. Fortunately, the marketplace was just a couple of steps from the circus tents. With that done, I set off to find the acrobat.
Getting backstage proved ridiculously easy. No guards, not even a single "Do Not Enter" sign! Where exactly was management looking? Well, not my problem.
The acrobat I was looking for was in her personal dressing room—a rather telling indication of her standing, by the way—and at that moment she was in the process of removing her costume… the lower half… while standing on her hands.
For some reason, an old, rather corny saying came to mind: "Remember, rookie—while you sleep, your enemy trains." And here I was, watching that very "enemy," who seemed to spend every spare moment stretching and twisting her body in ways that frankly defied reason.
Impressive.
"Ahem… excuse me, am I interrupting?"
"Huh? Oh!" In the blink of an eye, the girl fluidly shifted back into a normal stance with effortless grace. I, meanwhile, caught myself realizing just how much effort it took not to start imagining where and how else those wonders of flexibility could be used.
Up close now, I could see her much better than under the circus dome, and damn, she was definitely easy on the eyes. A slightly upturned nose on a round face with soft features, open, warm brown eyes, and dark—though not quite black—hair pulled into a tight braid atop her head… In short, an absolute cutie. Yum.
"Well… I attended the performance today and couldn't help but admire your grace. Please, accept this bouquet as a token of my appreciation." I held out the flowers.
"Thank you." The acrobat buried her face in the petals—whether to inhale their scent or to hide her embarrassment was hard to say, though the faint blush coloring the tips of her ears, peeking out from the flowers, suggested the latter. Had no one ever complimented her before? Hard to believe.
"No, thank you for such a wonderful performance. May I ask your name?"
"Ty Lee. And you…?"
"Chan…" I answered before I fully registered what she'd said.
(End of Chapter)
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