Le Clown Rose

7!

In downtown York New City was a little cafe propped amidst a line of shops and restaurants alike, all marketed in eye-catching designs with unique mascots stapled right at the top each shop.
In the little cafe, themed after the yearly cherry blossom tree's falls, sat few people. Most were couples relishing in the peaceful tranquility of the cafe, talking their hearts out and sipping on pink coloured drinks.

The chittering and chats, along with the soothing piano whispering in the background, would have been a perfect atmosphere for a woman like Opal. She's made it no secret that pink is her favourite colour, she sensed it brought a sense of whimsical eloquence that fit her narrative perfectly. A narrative she chased and chased, the image of a distinguished, well respected entertainer that had people bowing at the feet for.
However, Opal could not afford the luxury of relishing in the little things of life with her current situation at hand.

She sat in an empty booth, cornered by herself. A way-too-big sun hat covered her face that had already been shielded by pink glasses resting loosely atop her small nose, her iconic red clown nose no where in sight.
She held a book in her hands that was meant to act as a distraction, something to keep her looking busy without having to get up and order a drink, ruining her disguise in the process!
However, she found herself falling for the pages skimming across her fingers with every turn. A romance novel about two people in a toxic, one sided manipulative relationship. The story takes a turn where the two ended up magically solving all their problems and living happily ever after.

She loved the idea, it seemed to warm a wound in her heart that she neglected for quite some time. She continues eagerly reading with a smile on her pretty pink lips, completely forgetting why she was in this cafe in the first place.

"Uh, hello? Hello?"
By the second hello, Opal finally lifts her head up to meet the source of her disturbance. Her gaze falls on a young blond-haired man hesitantly taking a seat with two young boys accompanying him. She glances at the two boys, furrowing her brows in confusion. These were Hisoka's friends?

"Are you alright?" The blonde man speaks again, forcing Opal to tear her eyes away from the white-haired boy with cat-like eyes and onto him instead. She found his blue robe interesting, internally admiring the threading of his clothes instead of the softness in his eyes.
"Hello. Sorry." She clears her throat, anxiously looking left and right before removing her glasses to greet the other party properly.
"Please, take a seat."

The blonde man with the soft eyes shares a puzzled look with the two boys before they take a seat on the other side of the booth.
A few awkward seconds of silence pass them, Opal realizes they were not going to introduce themselves, so she takes it upon herself.

"My name is Opal, as you may already know. Forgive my disguise, I'm pretty famous. Well, I suppose I'm infamous now. Never bring a gun to a circus show, right? Haha! Why did they do that? That was so mean. Anyway! I'm happy to be here. Hahaha!"

When Opal woke up this morning in Hisoka's bed, he was already getting dressed to tend to his own errands. He left Opal with a set of instructions and nothing else, already painting a picture of how their interactions were going to be like from here on out. She didn't bother questioning his motives, knowing she wouldn't get a solid answer out of it anyway.

The white haired boy and the blonde share a look of utter disbelief, but not the black haired boy wearing a green shirt and shorts sandwiched between them. There was curiosity in his large brown eyes that held no judgement for the panicked clown in front of him. Just pure, unadulterated curiosity.

"Opal? I've never heard of you before. Are you a singer?" The black haired boy innocently asks with a smile on his face.
If Opal was made of glass, she would have shattered into a million pieces.