Musical and Historical Appearance

Circus AU

Fluff?

Marliza

Eliza stared at the massive tent before her, hearing the ruckus from inside and feeling excitement bubble in her stomach. Her younger sister, Peggy, stood beside her, nearly bouncing off the walls, hands clasped before her chest. Angelica watched both of them, her own eyes shining in the lantern light, more out of adoration for her sisters, than for the magical promises that waited inside the circus tent.

Peggy grabbed Eliza's hand, dragging her toward the entrance, freeing a laugh from Eliza's chest. Her blue skirts trailed behind her knees, her black flats thudding against the grass. Her hair had been done up in braids earlier that day, but as the heat increased with the day's time, the light strands had been wound into a bun on top of her head. As her body bounced with light steps, the locks began to fall and frame her face, Angelica's careful work falling into tendrils.

The three sisters were red-faced, droplets of sweat spotting their foreheads and on their thin necks when they arrived at the ticket booth. Angelica handed the man inside three brightly colored tickets. The mustached man grunted, ripping the tickets in half and returning them to Angelica's long, thin fingers. Eliza grinned at him, only provoking a raised eyebrow, before Peggy was dragging her inside the hot tent.

People were milling around the sawdust covered ground, handing money to venders for balloons that would pop and candies that would no doubt be gone before the excitement actually began. Eliza watched as Angelica stood a little straighter, held her chin a little higher, as bachelors passed their troupe of three. Peggy seemed to bound to an empty spot in the middle of the crowded, wood bleachers, flopping down with an excited giggle. Eliza grinned hugely.

Finally, after saving up all year, the sisters had raised the money to take themselves to the circus troop that was touring around. The group came to New York frequently, but Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy had only heard of the greatness that thrived in the tent. Of course, the girls came from a wealthy family, and it wouldn't have been a burden for them to leach money off their parents. However, Philip Schuyler believed it was important to teach his children management skills, as he wouldn't be around forever. The rest of the Schuyler children had decided to save up for smaller trifles, but the three girls were looking for an experience.

At last, the lanterns dimmed, inciting people to find their seats. An excited hush fell over the crowd as the ring master stepped into the center of the three rings. His red coat glittered. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my pleasure to present, the most revolutionary show you will ever see!" He swept his hands in a circle, and the tent erupted with light.

Into one ring, white horses galloped in a circle, slim riders doing handstands on their backs. A grey elephant trumpeted in the middle of the circling equines, his trunk rising into the air. In the second ring, strong men held lithe women as they built human pyramids and flipped over each other. Scarily skinny girls bent their bodies inside out, flipping backwards and still being able to peer at the audience once they made a full O with their backs. A tattooed man blew fire from his mouth. Above the girls, trapeze artists jumped off of wooden platforms and flipped off one bar to catch another. In the last circle, a pair of tigers circled the ringmaster, their sleek bodies slinking and stalking nothing. Beside the ringmaster stood another woman that caught Eliza's eye.

Her bright red lips pouted around blindingly white teeth. Her golden eyes leered into the crowd as she slipped a hand behind her curled brown hair to bare her shoulders. Her skin was a beautiful brown that reminded Eliza of coffee with creamer. She wore a skimpy red dress to show off her dazzling legs and push up her bust. Eliza glanced around the crowd and saw many men beside their wives, gazing unabashedly at the beautiful woman. Eliza's face flamed. What was she thinking?

The ruckus calmed some, most of the animals and performers going back into hiding outside of the tent, including the golden-eyed girl. Eliza almost immediately missed her. The ringmaster brought a throng of tigers, lions, and cheetahs to the rings. They jumped over each other and through fire, their muscular bodies launching them effortlessly. She watched the thick brown manes of some of the lions and couldn't help but thing they looked an awful lot like the girl's own curl brown locks. Meanwhile, Peggy's mouth was slightly opened as she gazed on, her mind seemingly only captured by the cats.

Next, a throng of beastly looking men with deadly knives appeared, throwing their weapons onto targets with perfect aim. Some swallowed swords, and revealed them immediately after, children gasping when they didn't fall dead. After the men, trapeze artists flew like monkeys over each other and recaptured wooden bars not falling to the net below. Eliza thought the golden-eyed girl would look beautiful if she tumbled through the silks tied to the top of the tent, the fabric catching them only inches from the ground.

She swallowed thickly as tears burned her eyes at her forbidden thoughts. Not only was the girl a stranger, but she was well, a girl. And thanks to Eliza's aristocratic upbringing and the current era, the reporters would have a field day. Imagine: Phillip Schuyler's middle daughter, Elizabeth Schuyler, caught rendezvousing with a brown skinned woman. And there was that too. The darkness of the golden-eyed girl's skin would look like night to day with Eliza's milky skin, nurtured from long days inside.

Finally, the girl reappeared beside a large wooden box. "And ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, Miss Maria Reynolds, our magician."

Maria.

The girl – Maria – settled a hand on the box. "I need to find a volunteer." And if Eliza didn't fall apart at the velvety voice that floated to her ears, she never would for anything. Her cheeks flooded with color and she looked down, clasping sweaty hands together. When she glanced back up, Maria's golden eyes were locked on her own blue ones. She smiled in her direction, but the golden eyes seemed more mysterious than kind.

"YOU!" She called, a sharp finger seeming to stab Eliza's chest through the air. She brought a hand to her chest, eyes wide. Peggy cheered and shoved Eliza off the seat into the ring.

"Yes, Eliza! Whoo!" the youngest of the three sisters shouted, standing and pumping her fists. Angelica caught her wrist, pulling the yellow-clad girl into her chair once more, whispering sharply to tell her to calm down.

The distance between Eliza and Maria seemed to multiply as she walked slowly across the sawdust on the rings, the shavings resting uncomfortably on her sweaty feet and in the crevices of her shoes. It was all Eliza could do to ignore the aroused feeling in her belly as she approached Maria. Finally, she was before the box, eyes downcast. If Eliza looked into the gild eyes before her, she might swoon.

"What's your name?" Maria asked.

"Elizabeth," she whispered.

"ELIZABETH!" Maria cheered. Good God Eliza loved the way the z of her name rolled off Maria's tongue. Loved the way her pink tongue poked between her teeth when she pronounced the th. "Get in the box, sweety," Maria said. "And lay real still." Eliza nodded, laying in the box, her head and feet sticking out of the box as the lid came down over her and trapping her. "I will now cut the beautiful Miss Elizabeth in half!"

The audience gasped as Maria revealed a sharp saw, the metal glinting dangerously. When she turned to Eliza, Maria looked delighted. She leaned down to whisper in Eliza's ear, warm fingers brushing Eliza's hair away.

"Don't worry, Darling. You'll be fine." Eliza shivered at the hot breath that brushed against her face, a minty smell coating Eliza's senses. Strangely enough, Eliza trusted Maria with her life.

Being cut in half was a strange sensation. She couldn't really explain the feeling because she was too engaged in Maria's flittering movements to really know what was happening. Maybe it was drafty? But no pain ever pierced her skin. Then, before she could actually register that she wasn't in one whole piece, she was put back together. Not even her dress needed hemming. Maria presented Eliza grandly when she stepped out of the box, hands trembling.

"Thank you, Miss Elizabeth," Maria smiled charmingly to the people in the crowd. Before Eliza could make her way back to her sisters, Maria caught her wrist. "Meet me behind the tent right after." And then she let go.

The walk away from Maria was quicker and more desperate. Eliza's mind was swimming. Meet her? She couldn't have said that. Maybe she really meant to kill me, and now she's going to finish the job. But something told Eliza that the magician hadn't meant to hurt her and didn't intend to.

The rest of the show carried on too quickly for Peggy and Angelica, but Eliza was longing for the tight rope walkers to just run across the thin wire so she could meet Maria. But at last, the show was over. The performers bowed deeply, and the audience rose to its feet, their applause seeming to never cease. Eliza was jittery and desperate to flee the tent, to breathe deeply and pull herself together to see Maria.

As the sisters slowly made their way out of the tent, Peggy rambling on and on about the show, hands flying as she animated the show they had all seen. Angelica laughed when appropriate, but her eyes were glued to Eliza, who only nodded and hummed with Peggy's retelling.

"I need to pee," Eliza announced, cutting off Peggy. "I'll meet you by the entrance." Peggy paused; an eyebrow raised.

"U-huh. You go 'pee,' Eliza," she smirked. Eliza looked back at her, confusion coloring her face.

"What was that?"

"We saw how you were looking at that magician girl," Angelica snorted. Eliza blushed bright red and she ducked her head beneath her light-colored locks, unsuccessfully hiding her attraction.

"Just go, Liza!" Peggy grinned, shoving her sister away. Eliza looked back at Angelica, seemingly seeking her approval. But all she found was an open smile, no malice or disgust hidden beneath. Eliza breathed out with a small grin before skirting over to the back of the tent, her sisters' laughs following behind her. She knew that if her father ever caught wind of her interests, it would not end well for her, but honestly, having her sisters' approval was more important to her than anything.

Sure enough, behind the tent, Maria stood, leaning against one of the metal poles that held up the canvased cavern. She no longer wore her scandalous dress, but a pair of men's pants and a cloak. However, her beauty was undoubtedly unparalleled despite her lack of skin showing. Maria's golden eyes studied Eliza's approaching form. The sister brushed her hair behind her ears, eyes finding her own shoes again.

"Hello, Miss Elizabeth," Maria greeted. She pushed herself off the tent pole, uncrossing her arms and greeting Eliza by placing her fingers beneath her chin, forcing Eliza to look up into her swirling gold pools.

"H-Hello, Miss Maria," Eliza whispered, nerves clawing their way up her throat. She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the time Maria released Eliza's chin.

"I know it's rather unorthodox, but I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you were. I just needed to contact you somehow and cutting you in half seemed the only solution." Eliza snorted out a laugh, before her hands flew to her mouth, covering the horrid sound. Maria laughed, and contrary to Eliza's outburst, her laugh was angelic. "You are absolutely adorable."

Eliza knew she needed to say something, so she did. "You're beautiful." Maria smiled.

"Thank you. Who were those girls you were with? If your heart is captured by another, I should not continue this advance." Eliza relaxed slightly at the nervous shifting the magician before her. Despite her put together appearance, Maria was just as uncertain as she was.

"They were my sisters. My heart has yet to be claimed, though I hope after this meeting I can say otherwise," Eliza grinned.

"Really?" The hope in Maria's eyes made Eliza melt a little more. She nodded carefully once, before continuing to nod fiercely. "Well, then, Miss Elizabeth, would you do me the pleasure of meeting me at the small park tomorrow afternoon so we may get to know each other better?"

"I'd be honored, Miss Maria," Eliza giggled.

"Oh, Lizzy!" Peggy called, her voice light and teasing. "Stop flirting! We need to leave! Father is waiting!"

"Leave her alone," Eliza heard Angelica snap.

Eliza rolled her eyes, turning to meet Maria's gaze. "My sisters. While I wish I could stay and engage in a more thorough conversation, my father calls. I will wait to learn and love you until tomorrow then." Eliza took one step away, eyes never leaving Maria's blushing cheeks. Before she could turn her back, Eliza grinned once and kissed Maria's cheek, before running to re-greet her sisters. Behind her, Maria's face split into a smile. She turned to walk into the tent but was stopped by a tall, curly haired man, skin only slightly darker than her own.

"She is pretty, non?" Lafayette grinned down at her. Maria blushed and shoved him out of her way, ignoring his loud laughs. But who could really deny it? Elizabeth was, after all, a sight to see.

WC: 2295