[img]http://i.imgur.com/2uDBgEK.png[/img]

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

The pretty lights from the bulbs dangling along the lines running along the ceiling above danced in front of Estelle’s eyes, as her vision swam back to normalness. She grunted in pain, pushing herself with a gasp up off the floor, cringing as she sat back up and tried to reflect on what had just happened to her. That man again, Vance, had taken control of her body against her will, pushing her to move away despite having gotten so close to him again. Damnit! She had managed to strike him only so slightly, nicking his coat with her fireblade, but close wasn’t going to be good enough if he could push her away yet again. She needed to stop that! Stop him from taking control of her again!

But before Estelle could think of a way to plan against that, another new danger suddenly threatened her. A bright and powerful light pulsed close by, its origin being that of Syed. And from the look etched upon his face, Estelle could immediately guess what was happening to him. He wasn’t the only one to be screaming panic fuelled cries. Across the way, on the other side of the circus, Lute too was uttering the same screams of worry and agitation. 

“Damnit!” Estelle yelled. “Leave my friends alone!!”

Upon Estelle’s cry, several of the seats surrounding the Big Top’s stage were wrenched free from their moorings, held aloft and spinning in the air, at first attracted to the rampaging electricity cascading about Syed’s body, and then, through Vance’s precise control…

“Raargh!” Estelle backflipped onto her feet, jumping and dodging as best she could from the flying chairs sent crashing towards her. If it wasn’t for the healing buff that Amy generously graced her and the agility enhancement Marcus cast her way as well, she would have been crushed by them all. Her joy at dodging all of those attacks was short lived however, as the chairs were dragged out of the indentations they had formed in the ground and continued to be used as weapons against her. It was all it took for Estelle to avoid them. She tried to run closer towards Vance, but it was growing impossible…

“The man!” Estelle yelled out, to everyone able to hear. “He’s able to control us! Focus on him! Knock him out!!”

[img]http://i.imgur.com/J8VStXo.png[/img]

Lucien’s eyes widened as he lifted his head up to his leader’s shout. It took the summoner some time to recover after the assault his mind had taken from the puppeteer Vance, and it left Lucien feeling all woozy and groggy. That was twice now he had lost control of his summoning, and it made him want to feel sick. The first time was his mistake, one he’d make sure he’d never commit again. The second time… that was because of him. It wasn’t Lucien’s fault per se, but he still felt responsible for it. And now he was controlling his friends Syed and Lute, too! It was time to do what Estelle had said… and take him out, yeah?

Lucien quickly shuffled through his cards, finding the one he wanted to use. He couldn’t risk using a big and dangerous animal again, not if they went wild and out of control like before. It didn’t mean he was powerless, however…

“Hey, hey Amy!” Lucien called, the dopey summoner throwing his hand up in the air and waving to catch her attention. Amy’s brow twitched as she looked towards him. Did he really think this was the right time to be silly? “I’m gonna make a distraction so you can hit him, yeah? Give him a big powerful slap for me!”

Both of Amy’s eyes narrowed in frustration. He wasn’t silly. He was stupid. Vance had heard everything that Lucien said, and he seemed to smile himself at Lucien’s foolish error. He turned his hand, the one controlling Syed, to focus the electricity mage’s attack on Lucien as well, but then, just before he knew it…

He went blind, as something large and disgustingly wet and smelly fell from the sky and smacked him in the face, its tail slapping him over and over before flopping onto the ground in front of the temporarily blinded man. 

It was Lucien’s tuna once again.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/XHUQTCr.png[/img]