Fantasia of the Dream-Protecting Acrobats ~Western Country & Central Country~

Murr: What're you lying for?

Marie: Lying? I'm not lying.

Murr: Wow, there you go, lying again! Do you make a hobby out of telling lies or something?

Murr snapped his fingers, and a pair of marionettes appeared in his hands.

As he moved the marionettes, they moved and seemed to change expressions, becoming sad and confused. They acted out Murr's words in imitation of Marie.

Murr: You're looking all around, and you keep blinking a lot, and you even cover your mouth with your hand when you're speaking. It's textbook liar behavior.

Marie: ...

Akira: Are you sure the reason you won't go out on the trapeze is because of the costumes...? Or is there maybe some other reason?

Marie: What do any of you care, anyway? It's none of your business.

Shylock: It's true that we're strangers to you, but sometimes it's easier to tell things to somebody that isn't so close to the heart of the matter, don't you think?

Shylock: It may be beneficial just to put words to what you're feeling. We might be able to help you.

Shylock: Why not try sharing your struggle with us, and allow us to shoulder a little bit of the burden for you instead of trying to carry it alone?

Marie: ...

At Shylock's kind words and gentle voice, Marie opened her mouth, but then closed it again.

Rustica spoke as well, his voice soft.

Rustica: Say, Marie. Might it be that you and this lion statue have some kind of irreplaceable bond between the two of you?

Akira: A bond...?

Rustica: I was watching you two just a little earlier. You seemed to be very close friends.

Marie: ... that's right. He's my friend... my savior.

Marie: He supported me when I was struggling and in pain, and he's... very important to me...

Marie: So I have to watch over him in return, to make sure they don't tear him down.

Akira: What? Why would it be torn down? Isn't this statue one of the iconic symbols of the city?

Shylock: This city certainly does have a higher than usual tolerance for magic and strange occurances– the successful wizard circus shows are proof of that.

Shylock: But even so, the effects of the Great Calamity are many and myriad. It's no wonder that public opinion would turn against it out of caution.

Marie: And on top of that, he's really old, so there's been talk about taking the opportunity to tear him down to build a new statue.

Marie: So I can't help but be scared that if I take my eyes off him for an instant, he'll be gone before I know it...

She told us that at first, when she could, she would sneak out of practices to come check on him.

Marie: But I keep getting more and more worried about him. I come whenever I have the time, but I can't get out of evening performances, so I've been coming up with excuses to cancel them.

Chloe: I see... you must care a lot about him, Marie.

Marie's lips parted with a deep sigh. Her expression softened as she recalled her treasured memories.

Marie: Yeah. As I said, he's kind of like my savi

Marie: ... you know, I... When I was little, I thought I was human. My parents were kind and my life was humble, but I was happy. 

Marie: But one day, I realized I could do magic. ... Even as a child, I knew that there was no way I could stay there anymore, so I ran away.

Marie: Because everybody hates wizards, right? If anybody found out that I was a witch, it would cause problems for my family.

Chloe: ...

However, Marie had nowhere to go. She wandered from town to town, suffering greatly all the while.

Her only options were to make a spectacle of herself, or dirty her hands with crime. Right when she was prepared to make that choice...

She encountered Comus while they were on tour, and her life was changed.

Marie: That was the first time that I realized there was a place where I wouldn't have to hurt anyone, or let anyone gawk at me either. I could shine brightly because I was a witch, not in spite of it!

Marie: I wanted more than anything to be on that stage one day, and I guess I was in the right place at the right time, because I was able to join Comus as an apprentice.

After joining the troupe, she worked hard to stand out and made a name for herself despite her young age. Because of this, she was made the head performer of the trapeze act.

Marie: At the start, I loved every minute of it, and I was thrilled that the audience enjoyed my performances. And I had a lot of fun! But...

Murr: Lemme guess. As your trapeze show got more and more popular, all that excitement started turning into pressure?

Marie: ... yeah.

Comus performed almost every day while they're on tour. Marie had almost no time to herself to gather her thoughts and sort out her feelings in between day-in day-out performances.

Marie: ... I realized that even though I had loved the circus, that I should have loved the circus, I couldn't say I was enjoying it anymore.

And then, with Marie's feelings still a mess, the troupe came back to the City of Circuses for a hometown run of shows.

Marie: Everything was too much to take in. I came here to try and get away from the circus for a little while, to try and clear my head. That was when he talked to me.

Marie stroked the lion's paw gently while she spoke, as though he was a dear friend.

Marie: When he said 'having fun', it felt like he was asking me, "are you having fun right now?".

Marie: And just like that, my heart overflowed. I told him all of my weaknesses and worries and secrets that I had never told anybody else.

Marie: The day after I talked to him, I was able to practice and perform just like I had been able to before.

Marie: Thanks to him, I was able to remember that I loved the circus. He made me feel so much better.

Chloe: ... I think I know what you mean.

Chloe nodded in understanding, and he looked warmly at the lion statue, as though he were looking over a treasured photo album.
He took a step closer to the statue, as though stepping into a memory of his own.