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Despite all this, however, Anastasia showed no restraint in sitting right next to you without you having to say anything. The two of you engaged in light conversation as the room slowly filled, but when the lights dimmed and the music swelled, everyone around you fell silent.
The show was about to begin.
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Over the next hour, you watched in utter amazement as contortionists, acrobats and performers pushed their bodies to their limit, as well as the boundaries of what should be possible for an above-average human.
You and Anastasia oohed and aahed, leaning in close to whisper to one another each time something incredible happened. You relished the feeling of her warmth in the relatively cold room, and the way her breath tickled your ear with each and every hushed consonant, straining to be heard over the catchy music they would play to aid in their performance.
But more than that, you found yourself paying close attention to the flowing movements and techniques of the aerial performers. The way they fluidly transitioned into dazzling poses while paying close attention to the speed at which they were moving, their height from the ground, the distance from one platform to the other, and their body’s position in the air.
It was strange to pick apart all the little things you found yourself doing unconsciously, and you had to wonder whether you could improve by watching trained professionals at work, instead of just winging it like you always did.
Sometimes, practice and knowledge were better than pure instinct.
As the show came to close, you all rose to your feet and began applauding loudly. The performers collectively took a bow, and you were about to point out which ones you thought did the best job, when a sudden realization dawned upon you.
There were more performers onstage than there should have been. And some of them hadn’t even been a part of the show.
You frowned and scrutinized them further, noticing that the new group stood out from the rest in terms of costume design and behavior. But it wasn’t until the one in the green suit and the tall top-hat stepped forward that the others noticed what you had been watching for.
<span class="mu-g">“Thank you, thank you! You’re too kind!”</span> the old man shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to him. The other performers were looking at him strangely now, and you could see some people signaling for security to take control of the situation.
<span class="mu-g">“While it pains me to intrude on another troupe’s performance and spoil their grand finale, I simply couldn’t pass up the chance to speak with you all now that you’re gathered together in the same room like this.”</span>
(Cont.)
