{YUI'S POV}
The geography of Fortissia is quite interesting. Clarines is the westernmost kingdom on the continent. Zoral is landlocked further east, and shares a border with the desert kingdom of Evander.

Nalu is a small kingdom also bordering Evander, situated next to the western sea. There are many forests in Nalu and the weather is warm year-round, since they're close neighbors to a desert.

It seems this traveling circus has come all the way from Nalu, from one border of Fortissia to the other.

All this is to clarify that—since the weather doesn't get cold like it does in northern Clarines—the citizens of Nalu don't have a need for heavier clothing. Their leisure wear reflects this. I'd almost rather have the oversized clown outfit back.

"My naval is exposed." I complain, wrapping my arms around my waist to try and cover up as much as I can. "There's nothing covering my belly!"

Aria chuckles. "I'm afraid this is all we've got in your size. You don't have to wear them, but you'll be far more exposed if you're not wearing anything at all."

The traditional outfit of Nalu consists of a swath of fabric wrapped around the chest and loose drawstring pants. It's easy to move in, but I'm not used to having the lower half of my torso showing.

I look pasty as a marshmallow, since my belly skin is never exposed to sunlight. In my opinion, the light blue garb looks very unflattering on me.

The ladies eventually manage to find me a top that has sleeves, which helps my comfort a little.

"The color accentuates your eyes." Aria says, appraising her work up and down. "I can make a new top that suits your preferences."

"You look super pretty!" Mimi agrees, gasping when she sees me. He eyes sparkle brightly.

I recognize Mimi's voice now. She's the girl with the childish voice who was sitting next to Eon in the wagon. I disregard their sugary words.

The actors openly admit to being amused. They're only playing dress up because my reactions are funny, not because they think I look good in everything. No matter how many times they compliment me, I'm not so self-absorbed to believe that all of their words are honest. Living in noble society has taught me that much.

Finally, the ladies stop toying with me. I let out a breath as they begin to scrub away their heavy makeup with soapy towels. It's stage makeup—meant to look better from afar—so it's like thick paint is being washed off of their skin.

I leave the costume tent, determined to talk to Eon.

I need to find out where I am, so I can figure out how to get home. I trust Eon most. He seems to be the one in charge, despite being around my age.

"Where might I find Eon-san?" I ask some of the workers. They all direct me towards the Great Tent.

All of the customers have left. The workers are walking around, cleaning up trash and taking tents down. The circus isn't staying here much longer.

I find Eon with some of the performers, going over what went well today and what didn't.

The performers give their two cents about their acts, and the group decides that the show will run smoother if they swap two of the acts in the lineup.

The man who controls the automaton elephant has a complaint about one of the leg joints being too stiff. Eon tests the joint so see what's wrong. He tells the man that one of the cogs needs replacing.

"I'll have to put in an order with a blacksmith. Oil the joints and use her liberally for now." Eon instructs. The man agrees, patting it like it's alive.

The meeting is clearly over. The performers all bow their heads before leaving the tent.

Eon attempts to follow, but the cannon child gestures at me before he goes. Eon turns around and blinks. I've been spotted. I shuffle my feet and wave awkwardly. Eon's eyes drift down but quickly snap back up to my face. He closes his mouth.

I cross my arms, trying not to feel self-conscious. "Will you answer my questions now?"

Eon scratches his cheek. "Okay. Walk with me. I have to check on the rest of the automatons. If I don't start now, this'll take all night."

He goes around assessing the other automatons for defects like a doctor, which is irritating because it feels like he's avoiding looking at me. I'm used to having the full attention of my conversation partners.

Is this what it's like when I ignore others? This is unpleasant. I swallow my pride and begin with the simplest question. "How long was I asleep?"

"Hmm... well, the border check set us behind. We managed to set up the circus on time and we've been here for a week, so maybe a week and a half?"

I blink. I was drifting in and out of consciousness, but I thought it was only a few days! I've lost more than a week?! Clarines must be frantic to find me.

I recover my composure and stand a little straighter. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Yui. That's all I know for certain."

"I..." I internally debate how much to share. "I'm a noble. I need to go home right now."

Despite my best intention to remain calm, my voice climbs higher. Eon doesn't seem to care if I'm a noble or not, but he looks up at me empathetically when my voice cracks on the word home.

He sighs. "Nobody's stopping you from leaving. You can probably find a carriage service in Meno."

"Meno?" My voice rises. "As in the capital of Menad? Our relations haven't been easy since the war! Can't you just take me home? You're the ones who kidnapped me in the first place!"

"You might've died if we left you alone!" Eon argues. "Look, I admit that we made a mistake by taking you out of your country. But we have a schedule of stops we need to follow, and not following it causes a lot of problems. Our livelihoods depend on this. The show has grown so popular that I barely have enough hands as it is. I'm sorry, I can't spare any for you!"

"You're a jerk!"

He looks hurt, like I just kicked a puppy. I feel ashamed. Eon has been very kind to me, and yet I let my emotions control me. I take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I got too heated just now."

He perks up and holds up a hand with his pinkie finger extended. "Me too! I hate arguments, so how's about we call it a truce?"

"Okay?" I hesitantly reach out, unsure of what to do.

He interlocks our pinkies and we shake on it. I look down our connected hands. What an interesting method for sealing a deal. I withdraw my hand.

"How am I supposed to rent a carriage?" I put my hands on my hips. "I don't have any money."

Eon frowns, deep in thought.

Then a spark—similar to when he was performing—flickers to life in his eyes. He smiles and suggests, "Then why don't you work for us? Every worker has a personal allowance, so you'd be making money. We could us the extra help. Otherwise, you can wait. I won't kick you out on the street, plus the circus will eventually loop back to Clarines."

I consider my options and sigh. "How long does the full loop take?"

Eon tilts his head and looks innocently up at me, from where he crouches by a metal leopard's stiff hind leg. That expression is unfair. "Over a year."

"That's much too long!" I take a deep breath. He's trying to help me; getting frustrated helps no one. "What would my work entail?"

Eon brightens. He looks absurdly happy that I've agreed to work with him. He grins. "We won't make you do anything you don't want to!"

I back away, unsure if I want to do anything.

The conversation is clearly over. Eon begins to whistle, ignoring me and returning his full attention back to all of the automatons.