Le Clown Rose

3!

Upon arriving to the Phantom Troupe's base, Opal was forced into an abandoned building ominously built in the middle of nowhere. The cold night air felt like knives prickling her sun-kissed skin, her performance attire doing little to shield her.

Hisoka walked on her left side in front of the other members. He was staring straight ahead, but he could see every move she made.
He was partially intrigued by her reluctance to use Nen to protect herself. She was free to do so, the members felt no need to limit her abilities when they only saw her as a mere circus clown.
He, however, was perfectly aware of what she was capable of. The very reason why he felt the need to bound her hands together with his Nen.

Walking inside, she was presented with a cave-like reception, shadowed by the dim light of the moon entering through the cracked windows. It was a stark contrast to her pink and white clothes, she never looked so out of place before.

Sitting at the very top of one broken down pillar was a man dressed in black coat with white fur around the collar and slicked back black hair. At the sound of the echoing footsteps, he glances up from his book, his gaze landing on the scruffy pink clown with tears running down her cheeks.

Just from the very first glance, he was already intrigued. Opal was a household name across the country at this point, her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent were what got her to the point of being an A tier celebrity.
Seeing her look so weak, so pathetically scared, it was not like her.

Chrollo placed the book down by his side and gracefully jumped onto the floor to approach the clown.
"Welcome. I'm excited to see you in person." He humors her.

She wasn't looking directly at him, but she could tell just from one look in his eyes that he was the most powerful person in this brigade of thieves. He held no solid emotion in his deep gray eyes, they were akin to Hisoka's lifeless gazes, except there was a kindness in them that she never had a glimpse of from Hisoka. They held more life.

Speaking of Hisoka, Chrollo could not shake a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that the magician was being dishonest with his motives. It was to be expected at all times, but Hisoka would never go out of his way to not fight a powerful opponent. Not unless he was waiting for something.

What is he planning?

"You're frightened." Chrollo whispers to her in a voice so soothing it makes Opal focus her eyes on him. It felt like she was being spoken to for the first time since being captured.
"But not of me."

Opal swallows thickly, feeling like her legs would buckle at the thought of admitting the source of her fears.
Had Chrollo been any less wary of his surroundings, he would have been killed by the deep glare Hisoka forced into the side of his head.

♠️♣️♦️❤️

"...and the crowd went wild! Old people hanging onto their lives by a thread had to fart to propel themselves off their seats and clap!"

Chrollo chuckled wholeheartedly, exposing two dimples on the sides of his cheeks as he watched Opal. He could see now why people paid so much money to come see her perform. He wouldn't do it himself, but her charm was eye-catching.

She initially had no problem putting on a performance in such dire situation, it wouldn't have been the first time. But seeing him smile and laugh... she suddenly felt unsure if he actually found her funny or was just entertaining her. His calm demeanor had her sitting on the edge of her seat.

"It's a rewarding job, isn't it? Making people laugh?"

"Oh yeah! I'd do it for free if I could, but someone's gotta pay the bills around here. Well," she pauses to collect herself, faking a confident smile in the face of Chrollo.
"That was until your men were sent to kill my friends and bring my head back as a reward. If I knew you were such a big fan, I'm sure we could have made a much better deal~!"

"Really? What would the deal be?"

Opal paused to take a sip from her drink, she then winks at Chrollo.
"I'm down to provide special services for special fans, if you're picking up what I'm putting down. That is if they meet the criteria, and you certainly do. See how all that could have been handled with no violence? You just had to go and kill my friends?" She shamelessly flirts with him.

Chrollo watches her speak and flirt with an amused smile on his face. He felt he could learn a lot about someone when he provided them with a place they could be in their element. It didn't have to be a physical place, just sitting down and allowing her to speak was enough for Opal to express herself freely when it was just the two of them there.
He learned that she loved talking about herself, and that she was extremely insecure.

"You are cute, Opal. But I wouldn't ask such thing of you." He responds calmly. She would recoil slightly whenever it was his turn to speak, her baby pink eyes daring him to criticize her.
"The request for your head wasn't from me. I was going to auction it off and make a lot of money from it. But... I'm glad Hisoka gave you a chance."

He tests the waters by mentioning the devil's name, and surely, her reaction met his expectations. Opal's smile immediately dropped from her face as she looked elsewhere, avoiding any chances he might have of seeing the fear in her eyes.

"You're like an open book." He continues, seeing no reason to shield his findings.
"What is it about Hisoka that ignites that reaction?"

Opal shifted slightly in her seat, her head dropping low to avoid looking into Chrollo's eyes.
He quickly notices this and places a gentle hand on her cheek.
"He's not here. It's okay."

She contorts her lips, her eyes suggesting she was ready to speak but her lips remained sealed shut by metaphorical threads, a promise she made to herself years ago when they were just children.

He stared at her reaction intently.

"If there is anything I've learned from my time with Hisoka, it's that he has no depth." Opal whispers as if the devil would hear her spill. "There is no motive behind his behavior, no soul to reach out to when desperate for mercy at his hands. He is as determined as a beast, but even animals understand the idea of altruism to some extent."

Opal didn't want to leave someone that's been kind to her with no response. It may not be the straightforward answer he was expecting, the key to finding a weakness within Hisoka to use against him. But every good lie should have some truth sprinkled into it.

"Growing up with Hisoka was like being naked and staring into the dark, unknown abyss. He could be sitting perfectly still in the room we shared, and there still wouldn't be a moment of peace."