#cirquejonghyun

It was still early, relatively anyway, and there’s little bustle around the cottages. After having woken up naturally and then realizing there was no way he’d be able to re-dream whatever he had thought up that caused him to wake with a smile plastered on his face, the blonde decided to go for a swim. It wasn’t a completely random decision or anything; he’d actually been discussing it the day before as he’d heard of the island’s great location.

Contrary to his normal routine it didn’t take him long to get ready, simply slipping into swimming trunks and a loose tank top, locating his towel and getting himself into a pair of silver-tinted flip flops, leaving his hair to the mercy of his fingers.  He’d only get it wet and while he cared greatly about his appearance he wasn’t about to waste time, rather eager to get to the sea.

Besides, no one was really awake yet anyway. Adjusting his sunglasses the moment he stepped outside he allowed himself a little reprieve, turning so the sun was warming his back now rather than blinding him, he stretched his arms before walking into the general direction of the beach. It wasn’t hard to find, even with the salty smell having seeped into every nook of the island, and it didn’t take long till he felt the sand between his toes.

And only in that moment did he realize how much he had missed it. Missed this. By the time his brain caught up with his body both his shirt and his flip flops lay abandoned behind him, half emerged by the sand already. He’d taken a leap without even noticing and the blonde shook his head, reprimanding himself mentally for the fact that he had let his instincts take over. That wasn’t the way he’d been raised. By the time he recognized this he was standing still and mere seconds later Key had turned on his heels (as well as he could in the sand) to retrieve his shirt at least. Swinging it over his shoulder he took time to look around briefly, and continued towards the water when he was confident no one had seen him.

Even though the walk had been short the scorching sun had made sure he was sweating already and he unceremoniously wiped his brow with his scrunched up shirt, only to make a face at this barbaric gesture. He really should go to bed earlier, this lack of sleep thing was messing with his ability to reason logically. Still he was practically burning up and one could basically feel the cool the water was radiating from where he was standing.  A sigh escaped his lips but it was a fond sigh, content and slightly..foxy? He shook his head at the thought, reaching up to scratch at his ear immediately after. It was almost like he was stalling, perhaps secretly a little wary of the cold he would undoubtedly encounter.

This didn’t keep him from walking in, though, having left his towel and shirt on a neat pile far away enough from the shore.

The water was cool like he had expected, and well..it would’ve been weird if it wouldn’t have been, but there was no unpleasantness to it. Key smiled again, before he dived forward. There wasn’t much of a splash and he glided through the water smoothly. 

The wooden box stood right where he was told it should, about twenty meters away from the camp.  It was big and looked heavy, which made him curious about its content, but not quite enough to actually open it. Minho had never been the one to intrude other’s privacy,  although he doubted this exact package was so much of a secret. He supposed it was just some new equipment for the show, after all, they had gained quite some new performers recently.

It had been a while since he had last worked out, so he was quite excited for getting assigned the task of carrying this heavy object  to the main tent. He stretched his arms above his head, preparing his arms for the lift. His eyes glistered in participation, brows knitted together. He slid his hands under the box and started counting.

One, two, three, heave! He got the box halfway up, but even before he had fully stretched his back, he had to bend down again. The box hit the ground with a with a loud thump. Letting out a low grunt in frustration, he turned around, arms folded over his chest.

Taemin had been practicing most of the day, his bag and shoes tucked out of the way at the base of a large tree, close to its bending and twisting roots. It was a relatively dense forest for how close to town they were but he wasn't complaining. The branches were easy to get to without being bothered by birds or clothes being snagged and he needed to focus on not floating during performances. He walked out on one of the thinner branches, thankful that they were still bare from winter and that his power left him a lot lighter than any normal person. It was relatively simple, walking out with the soles of his feet pressing against the rough bark on the branch but it was also amazing in the sense that he hadn't felt something under his feet like that in what felt like forever. 

Walking out on the thin branch as though it were a tight rope, stepping slow with one foot carefully behind the other he paced. He lost focus a few times, wobbling or floating up but for the most part he had it down. Taemin smiled to himself before jumping down from the branch, the air slowing his fall until he stopped right above the ground but he wasn't done with staying on the ground just yet. He put his feet down on the ground, the grass patchy and the mud dried and cracked from the harsh winter, not that he was complaining. It was only a little uncomfortable to sit on anyway.