NOBODY CAN THROW STONES.

There was no point in stopping Claire when he had arrived.

If it had been anyone else, Tsukasa would have insisted they left the rehearsal. Shows were best consumed when the audience didn't what to expect, and the people who were likely to come see him during the day were the ones he wanted to entertain the most.

While there was nothing else Tsukasa wanted more than to surprise Mr. Walken with a show he wasn't expecting, he also knew there was nothing he could do to stop Claire from coming once he chose to. Not that Tsukasa really could; after all, Claire never announced his presence and his arrivals to rehearsals were, at most, completely random. Almost by a whim, if it weren't so peculiarly regular. Maybe there was some sort of routine in Claire's mind that only he could comprehend; they say genius and madness often go hand-in-hand.

However, Claire's often unexpected appearance was something Tsukasa actually looked forward to -- and most of the troupe seemed to share this same sentiment, with the exception of maybe Nene, who often complained of the man's . . . unique personality. Surely, Claire was no doubt an eccentric of sorts, but to Tsukasa, it was a type of eccentric he could handle. Or, perhaps, by comparison an eccentric who doesn't eagerly look forward to setting him alight was by far the easier one to deal with.

Either way, Claire's presence was always welcomed. And today was no different.

" ah, Mr. Walken! you've decided to grace our stage with your presence yet again! what a delight it is to see you! "

Tsukasa pounded his fist to his chest and smiled, eagerly greeting the older man. " i'm happy to hear my flips are becoming cleaner! the advice you gave me the other day helped immensely! once i for that down, all it took was some practice. this is the result of all that hard work! " His grin was brilliant as he spoke, enough to rival the sun in its brightness.

He paused for a moment to take Claire's advice into consideration, but before he had the opportunity to put into practice what the man had suggested, Claire had said something equally if not more curious.

" oh? and what it is you have to share? sit! sit! you ought to rest your feet. " And Tsukasa probably needed a break anyway, but he wasn't going to admit he was out of breath just yet. " and don't worry: i will be sure to share with the rest of my troupe what you've discussed with me today. " He deigned to mention that today was supposed to be a day off from rehearsal, hence everyone else's absence.

In some ways, they probably were right; hard work can only get a person so far if they're not one of the dreamers. But you have to want to be one of the dreamers—he'd confided something like that in the ringleader, before. You're not entitled to the whole world if you don't work for it.

Tsukasa, in that way, is probably just a few steps from being one of those dreamers who owns the world himself. But Claire keeps that little morsel of information tucked away, because that's the sort of realization that's best reached alone.

"That's the spirit!" he agrees, slotting himself easily into one of the room's many empty seats. Claire knows he's the last person who needs the rest, but he's not the type to decline an offer. "There's nothin' you can't perfect with a little hard work and a lotta drive—that's what I always say. Too many people out there get all stuck in their own head about what's 'possible' and 'impossible', you know?"

He waves a hand, brushing the topic away with an easygoing smile as he lounges back into the chair. One of his ankles is moved to rest upon the opposite knee, a casual position he'd feel comfortable taking in front of just about anyone.

"Anyway—I got a little carried away just then, haha." It's a common sort of non-apology from Claire, which he swiftly moves past. "I had a pretty interesting conversation with a friend-of-a-friend the other day. I know a guy who knows a guy who might be able to pull a few strings for you guys, you could say. However you wanna embellish things to make it sound more dramatic. I'll cut to the chase—it's about shows."

At this, Claire pulls out a small piece of paper from the inside of his coat; a photograph of a seemingly-moderately sized building located further towards the coast, with a name and address scribbled on the back. With a single flick of the wrist, he sends it spinning in a perfect arc through the air towards Tsukasa—though whether the kid catches it is another issue entirely.

"I know you've got your place here, and all, so it's just an offer. But there's a new theatre that'll be comin' up a little ways away from the crowd, and it's not just about all those crazy big productions with all their huge casts. My buddy's buddy wants to host all sorts of acts made by real locals, not all those big-wigs makin' art just for spectacle. It'd be temporary, but it'd be all official."

( ⚖️ ) : for our muses to get married at the courthouse.

( 💔 ) : for our muses to fight in a quiet corner of a crowded party.

( 🪞 ) : for our muses to get ready to go out in front of the same mirror.

( 📺 ) : for our muses to have a date at the drive-in.

( 🚬 ) : for our muses to meet outside a building during a smoke break.

( 🕯️ ) : for our muses to talk in a room lit only by candles.

( 🏚️ ) : for our muses to cross paths in an abandoned house.

( 🚓 ) : for our muses to meet outside the police department.

( 🧳 ) : for our muses to be at a bus terminal late at night.

( 🌧️ ) : for our muses to be stranded together in the rain.

( 🏨 ) : for our muses to stay in neighboring motel rooms.

( 🪑 ) : for our muses to sit beside each other in a waiting room.

( 📚 ) : for our muses to be in a quiet library aisle.

( 🕳️ ) : for our muses to encounter each other underground.

( 🎒 ) : for our muses to be paired together for an unwanted task.

( 🪦 ) : for our muses to meet up at a gravesite.

( 🕰️ ) : for our muses to be stuck waiting for something that never comes.

( 🚪 ) : for our muses to talk through a bathroom door.

( 🛏️ ) : for our muses to wake up in the same bed.

( 🍻 ) : for our muses to be at a bar just before closing.

( 🧼 ) : for our muses to clean up after a mess.

( 🪟 ) : for our muses to talk through a window.

( 🚿 ) : for our muses to shower or bathe together.

( 🧥 ) : for our muses to share a coat in the cold.

( 🛣️ ) : for our muses to be stranded on the side of the road.

( 🪵 ) : for our muses to gather at a dying campfire.

( 🎟️ ) : for our muses to be at a seasonal fair.

( 🧃 ) : for our muses to share a drink meant for one.

( 🏥 ) : for our muses to talk in a hospital hallway.

( 🩺 ) : for our muses to accompany each other during a medical emergency.

( 🧠 ) : for our muses to attend a therapy or counseling session together.

( 🖊️ ) : for our muses to discuss signing something important.

( 🏫 ) : for our muses to meet up in an empty school after hours.

( 🪖 ) : for our muses to be in a militarized zone.

( 🔫 ) : for our muses to meet at gunpoint.

( 🪓 ) : for our muses to prepare for a fight together.

( 🩻 ) : for our muses to meet up in the aftermath of brutality.

( 🛒 ) : for our muses to go shopping in a nearly empty grocery store.

( 🧾 ) : for our muses to argue over who owes what.

( 🛍️ ) : for our muses to shop for something intimate together.

( 🏕️ ) : for our muses to share a campsite overnight.

( 🌲 ) : for our muses to get lost in the woods together.

( 🐾 ) : for our muses to track something dangerous.

( 🏖️ ) : for our muses to meet up on an empty beach at dawn.

( 🌊 ) : for our muses to hang out at a community pool after hours.

( ✈️ ) : for our muses to sit beside each other on a turbulent flight.

( 🧭 ) : for our muses to disagree on which direction to go.

( 🗺️ ) : for our muses to be lost, sharing a map.

( 🏙️ ) : for our muses to meet up on a rooftop overlooking the city.

( 🌃 ) : for our muses to wander the city all night together.

( 🎁 ) : for our muses to exchange something small but meaningful.

( 🕊️ ) : for our muses to attempt a truce.

( ⚔️ ) : for our muses to meet on opposite sides of a conflict.

( 🪜 ) : for our muses to work together on a dangerous task.

( 🧗 ) : for our muses to rely on each other to survive a fall.

( 🧊 ) : for our muses to be trapped somewhere freezing.

( 🔥 ) : for our muses to be trapped somewhere burning.

( 🧵 ) : for our muses to fix something broken together.

( 🛠️ ) : for our muses to work side by side without talking.

( 🕶️ ) : for our muses to recognize each other too late.

( 🪪 ) : for our muses to meet under false identities.

( 📸 ) : for our muses to take a photograph together.

( 🖼️ ) : for our muses to meet in front of something symbolic.

( 🎧 ) : for our muses to share headphones.

( 🎶 ) : for our muses to bond over a song they both hate.

( 🧯 ) : for our muses to deal with an emergency together.

( 🚨 ) : for our muses to meet when alarms start going off.

( 🕯️ ) : for our muses to mourn the same loss.

( 🪦 ) : for our muses to grieve over the dead.

( 🚂 ) : for our muses to meet in a place meant to break them.

( 🫀 ) : for our muses to say something they can't take back.

( 🛌 ) : for our muses to share a night they won't discuss later.

( 🐺 ) : does your muse lead, follow, or leave when things get difficult?

( 🦚 ) : how does your muse stand out? how does that make them vulnerable?

( 🦩 ) : what reward keeps your muse going when nothing else does?

( 🐻 ) : what pushes your muse from gentleness into something dangerous?

( 🦏 ) : what makes your muse charge headfirst without thinking?

( 🦞 ) : what does your muse hold onto long after it's gone?

( 🦉 ) : what does your muse notice that others consistently miss?

( 🐐 ) : what has your muse achieved just to prove they could?

( 🐆 ) : how does your muse react when they get what they've wanted?

( 🐎 ) : what makes your muse feel free? who has tried to take that from them?

( 🦜 ) : whose words echo in your muse's head when they're alone?

( 🐞 ) : how does your muse cope with being overlooked or underestimated?

( 🐝 ) : does your muse know their role, or do they resent being needed?

( 🐃 ) : what burden does your muse carry without complaint?

( 🦋 ) : what moment changed your muse so completely they can't go back?

( 🐖 ) : what comforts does your muse cling to when the world gets ugly?

( 🦊 ) : how often does your muse lie? do they believe those lies themselves?

( 🐌 ) : what emotional process takes your muse the longest to work through?

( 🦅 ) : is it easy for your muse see the bigger picture?

( 🐀 ) : how does your muse survive situations they were not meant to?

( 🐬 ) : how does your muse find joy in dangerous or unstable environments?

( 🐅 ) : when your muse wants something, how subtle are they about it?

( 🐈‍⬛ ) : how does superstition or reputation shape how others treat your muse?

( 🐍 ) : how often does your muse get away with things they shouldn't?

( 🐘 ) : what memories does your muse carry that shape decisions they make?

( 🦧 ) : how does your muse show care through action rather than words?

( 🐜 ) : how does your muse handle work that feels endless or thankless?

( 🐢 ) : what does your muse take their time with, even when rushed?

( 🦂 ) : what boundary, once crossed, changes your muse forever?

( 🐈 ) : how does your muse ask for affection without directly asking for it?

( 🐊 ) : how patient is your muse when waiting for the right moment to act?

( 🦌 ) : what spooks your muse easily, even if they won't admit it?

( 🦢 ) : what does your muse hide beneath a graceful exterior?

( 🦥 ) : what does your muse refuse to rush, no matter the consequences?

( 🐁 ) : how does your muse make themselves smaller to avoid harm?

( 🐟 ) : does your muse go with the current, or fight it until exhausted?

( 🦍 ) : does your muse feel safer alone, or among others like them?

( 🐇 ) : does your muse run from conflict, or freeze and hope it passes?

( 🦈 ) : how comfortable is your muse with being misunderstood or feared?

( 🐦‍🔥 ) : how does your muse reinvent themselves after being destroyed?

( 🦘 ) : does your muse stop moving when they're hurt? do they push harder?

( 🐓 ) : how does your muse announce themselves in a room?

( 🐕 ) : who or what does your muse remain loyal to, even when it hurts them?

( 🐄 ) : what kind of peace does your muse crave, and why can't they have it?

( 🦖 ) : what part of your muse feels out of time or obsolete?