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[b][u]Phillis Circus: Big Top - Onstage[/b][/u]

Guinevere's dolls bounced along the floor in surprise; the injured girl had managed to move! Their butts and feet thumping against the ground multiple times was enough to catch their owner's attention, who glanced over her shoulder to see what the commotion was about - but to the ringmaster, Aria was still pinned. She returned her sights to Baltimore, while the dolls gave chase after the fleeing Aria. To make matters worse, an unclothed salamander began stalking after the fleeing illusionist as well - slithering towards her as fast as a spider.

With her injury and bloodloss, finding a breather was the first priority. The only ones who weren't distracted enough to see through her ploy were Guinevere's animated dolls - child-sized collectible dolls in delicate outfits - but their size did not keep them from holding back. They were faster than Aria's unfortunate hobbling.

Once they reached her, the salamander plushie immediately began crawling up her leg - up and up and up, skittering wildly until it reached her face. Like a worm, it then began squirming over her, cutting off her vision entirely.

The dressy rabbit followed up before Aria had a chance to even figure out what was going on; it used her foot as a stepping stool and bounced up her leg in big intervals. It jumped higher and higher, its fabrics enabling it to basically scale the woman like a wall - then it reached the injury in her shoulder. Without hesitation, the rabbit then leaped to the dagger's handle and gripped onto it with its forepaws - causing the dagger blade to shoot upward and further into her skin.

To make matters worse, the mouse plush repeatedly hurled itself at Aria with a surprising amount of force, knocking her down while its partners clung onto her.

Even the turtle followed after the illusionist, though it moved at an unbearably slow pace.

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Baltimore smiled back meekly (lowered head between shoulders and everything) as Isabella came her way. As the acrobat drew nearer, the niece's smile had dropped completely. She shot out her arms before her, palms flattened and facing Isabella, before she spread them apart wide. Isabella suddenly staggered back in her step, her smile also gone now. This little girl had erected an invisible wall between the two.

Unless Isabella jumped over the hovering wall in time, Baltimore guaranteed herself a brief escape - and immediately made a run towards Vance. She couldn't comprehend exactly what he was doing, but it had something to do with the redhead girl. She had to stop him...!

Guinevere cried out at this: "Renegade!" After treating all troop members with utmost hospitality and familiarity, these two had the galls to rebel!? The ringmaster's face reddened, tears forming beneath her eyes. An innocent little girl like Baltimore, an insurgent - just like that fiery man and his damned friends. "How dare you!"

In an instant, the remaining pile of plushes began to build on themselves; instead of a wide but low mount, they gathered themselves into a taller hill - blocking off Baltimore from the other ringmaster. She skid to a stop at this, mostly out of shock that the dolls were moving on their own. A quick glance to the side revealed other stuffed animals waddling through the back curtain, marching like wind-up toy soldiers.

As Baltimore moved to run around it, two of the plushes at the top of the makeshift hill - a fat lizard and a blackbird - leaped down and crash-landed onto Baltimore's head, knocking her down instantly. The lizard instantly made its way to her wrist and clamped down on it. Baltimore gasped as she attempted to shake it free from her, but to no avail.

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