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With a sweep of his cloak, Lord Moonlight found himself pacing back and forth backstage. The unusual creature was a patient fellow, but not when his show was on the line - intimidating but grand nonetheless, he was donned to a tee in the best clothes money could buy, from his black and star-hemmed cloak, to his black blazer, white bowtie, and feathered tophat. A low growl escaped him, rumbling in his throat as he glanced around; his fur bristled, but he did his best to smooth it down with his skeletal paws. The little click of his equally skeletal tail could be heard as it twitched back and forth, briefly flicking along the hardwood floor.

He turned his head toward the clock hanging on the wall across from him - Sean should be here soon, or so he hoped. He had invited the shark for one of his "famous" shows, and a part of him felt a twinge of agitation; had he picked the wrong person for today's performance? He certainly hoped now - otherwise, he didn't know who else he'd be able to find for a replacement on such short notice. But, he could only wait at this point; and continued to pace backstage, his anxious gaze settling just past the curtain and toward the ticket booth at the front of his grand theater.

As far as Lord Moonlight knew, he had never made an error in choosing a performer; so why was this one running late? Growing restless with each passing second, he continued to pace - until he simply couldn't take it anymore, and began to rush his way to the entrance of the theater. He had to check with Isabella, his ticket taker; she'd be the first face Sean would see upon entering, so maybe being up with her would ease the owner's nerves. With a sweeping swish of his cloak, Lord Moonlight walked up to the entrance and approached the ticket booth - where a lovely lavender rabbit sat on a stool sorting through paperwork and a collection of money.

Bella was on the thinner side with soft lavender fur and ears that stuck straight up, but her limbs were marked with joints and slits - easily overlooked by whoever was buying tickets, and there were all sorts of unusual folk in this town - so to be frank, most people didn't bat an eye at such things. Humming softly to herself, Bella raised her head and looked toward her boss with a smile, her pale golden eyes settling on Lord Moonlight as he swept up alongside her.

"My Lord, what brings you up here? I thought you were going over preparations backstage." Bella mused aloud, tilting her head as she pushed aside a stack of papers to give her full attention to the fellow beside her.

"I suppose I'm just restless - Sean hasn't arrived yet. Do you think I made a mishap..?"

"I wouldn't think so, sir. You always pick the perfect performers." Bella chuckled with a little shrug, brushing a long streak of dark purple and white hair from her eyes.

Her movements were a tad stiff, but not unnatural enough to raise any concerns. At her words, Lord Moonlight seemed to relax for a moment; a sigh escaped him and he nodded, offering her a grateful smile.

"I certainly do, don't I? Perhaps I'm just worrying too much. Sean will arrive. Though, he could've called if he was going to be late.."

The skulled creature scoffed, and Bella couldn't help but giggle in amusement. It was unlike her boss to be so stressed all the time, but he took it well, all things considered. The rabbit glanced back out at the sidewalk before them, past the glass of the ticket booth as she scanned the passersby for any sign of their star for the night. After a moment, her eyes widened and a grin crossed her features; she reached over, giving a light tug on his sleeve.

"My Lord, he's here."

Lord Moonlight snapped his head up, gaze scanning the passersby until they settled on a familiar face - Sean was making his way through the small crowd, practically tripping over his own tail as he scrambled. He was a tall shark, with grayish skin and a darker shade along his hands, feet, and marks along his back and long tail. His dark short hair was messy, as if he had just rolled out of bed; and his ears were pointed, the inner parts colored a baby blue to match his piercing eyes. Despite his disheveled appearance, there was a sense of urgency in his step and a frantic look on his face as he ran up to the ticket booth, panting; looking up, his gaze became apologetic in an instant as he realized who was standing next to the rabbit worker.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I'm late! The bus broke down and I had to hop on a different one. I swear, it doubled back so many times.." Sean groaned and gave a shake of his head, but much to his surprise, neither Moonlight nor Bella seemed upset; in fact, the skulled creature in front of him simply offered him an overjoyed grin and reached out, shaking his clawed hand.

"Not to worry, Sean; these things happen, you know. I'm just so glad you made it! Ah, where are my manners?"

With a huff, Moonlight released the shark's hand and gestured to Bella; who offered a gentle smile to the fellow.

"This is Bella, my assistant. She'll take excellent care of you; now that you're here, do forgive me, but I must make sure the show is all set. Bella will escort you inside and assist you - please, make yourself comfortable. I'm just so glad you made it, Sean!" Moonlight purred, before he turned away with a swish of his cloak and walked back into the theater.

A look of relief crossed Sean's face as he realized Moonlight hadn't been too upset with his late arrival; the fellow had been worried about all else, and that was vastly better than having a raging fit. Looking toward Bella, Sean smiled and held out a hand.

"Nice to meet ya, sorry I came so late. I'm ready to head in whenever you are, ma'am."

Bella shook his hand promptly and straightened up, making her way out from the ticket booth and gesturing for Sean to follow her inside.

"Oh, it's quite alright. Lord Moonlight was getting awfully worried, but he's an understanding fellow. Late or not, I'm sure you'll enjoy the show. It's about to start." Bella replied, turning and making her way into the theater.

Doing his best to compose himself, Sean nodded eagerly and hurried along after Bella. As he entered the theater, he found himself glancing around curiously; he didn't expect the place to be so small. From what Lord Moonlight had rambled on about during their first meeting, he had made this place sound incredibly grand; and while Sean wasn't one to judge, the impression given was much different. Besides, he had been the one to show up late, anyways - so he figured it wasn't appropriate to judge such a thing regardless. As Bella guided him to one of the front row seats, Sean couldn't help but notice there were only a handful of audience members - maybe this had been a quieter sort of show, less advertised and more so to test it out with a small audience.

"There you go. Holler if you need anything, alright?" Bella offered Sean a smile before she turned away, making her way back up the aisle toward the entrance - but she hovered at the doorway as Sean turned and focused on the stage in front of him.

He shifted in his seat, frowning; it felt off, uncomfortable even - but this was a small theater, so maybe things in here weren't as perfect as the larger, more well known places. Nonetheless, Sean straightened up best he could and looked back at the stage as the lights began to dim - and out walked Lord Moonlight onto the stage, a singular spotlight shining on him. Sweeping his cloak out, Lord Moonlight grinned and bowed to the audience as he spoke.

"Welcome, welcome all! Thank you so much for coming. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, so all of you...pay close attention." Purred Moonlight as a flash of smoke clouded up the stage, and the few audience members - including Sean - clapped eagerly.

With that, the show officially began; Moonlight did a few standard tricks at first, like pulling a rabbit from a hat or a dove out of his cloak, and even the more expected card tricks. Despite it all, the audience seemed to love it; and while Sean thought it was more simple than anything else, he couldn't help but find charm in it. Such a small place with a small following, and a cute show; Sean was glad he had met Moonlight and was able to come. This was better than spending a lonely night at home, anyway. Sean laughed along with the audience and clapped as Moonlight made a dove disappear within his hands in a puff of smoke and promptly bowed, soaking in all the attention and adoration.

"Thank you! My, what an audience - all of you are quite starstruck! Let's see if we can hike up that applause, because I'm going to need one volunteer!" Moonlight purred as his gaze scanned the few people in the theater, and as he did, it settled on Sean; and in an instant, Sean's hand shot up.

A little startled at himself, Sean blinked; it was as if his hand was yanked up without any rhyme or reason, almost like it had been pulled by a string - he quickly pulled his hand down, embarrassed. All eyes were on him, and Moonlight grinned, gesturing for Sean to come toward him.

"Well, looks like we have one! Come on up, Sean!"

A moment of hesitation passed, but Sean smiled and nodded; that had been strange, but maybe it was just an impulse; after all, he had been late, and helping Moonlight was an interesting way to make up for that mishap. Sean got up from the uncomfy seat and made his way onto the stage with Lord Moonlight; who guided him to two curtained booths at the back.

"What do I have to do?" Sean questioned, tilting his head; he watched as Moonlight parted the curtains of one booth and gestured inside.

"Wait in here, Sean."

Sean nodded, and entered; the curtains fell back into place behind him. As the shark waited patiently, outside the booth Moonlight whipped out a miniature stage almost out of nowhere; it looked like all of his other disappearing and reappearing tricks, and got a burst of applause from the audience. Setting it down, Moonlight knelt and pulled out a marionette from his cloak; beginning to maneuver and puppeteer it on the smaller stage. But, upon closer inspection, there was something amiss with this marionette - it was a rabbit, much like Bella, and looked like an exact replica of her.

"Now, let's see...Oh, Bella! Show them what you've got!"

In a burst of smoke, the real, life-sized Bella appeared behind him in a dramatic pose - graceful as ever as she settled back down with a grin, looking at Moonlight eagerly. She did a small spin that mimicked the miniature marionette's movement, ending it with a bow before straightening up. Moonlight gestured with his head toward the other booth, and Bella promptly headed behind the curtain. Stepping away from the smaller display, Moonlight positioned himself next to Bella's booth with a grin.

Meanwhile, in Sean's booth, the shark was beginning to feel very strange. A warm, odd sensation was rushing through his body; he couldn't tell if it was panic, or the thrill of being on stage - but whatever it was, it wasn't natural by any means.

"Moonlight? Hang on, I think I need a minute-" Sean began, but as he spoke, the warm feeling intensified, making him double over and hug himself, confused - it wasn't pain, but it was intense and strange.

"Behold!"

Lord Moonlight yanked open Bella's curtain; and out she walked as a rabbit of flesh and blood, free of the joints and hinges that had plagued her body prior, restricting her movement. Overjoyed, Bella checked herself over; no hinges, no joints, nothing! With dramatic flair, Moonlight went to the next booth and yanked open Sean's curtain; and as the light shone upon the volunteer, the audience gasped before bursting into applause as they laid eyes on the shark.

Sean was a life-sized marionette, joints and all; the shark was frozen in place, the warmth rushing through his body - yet, he couldn't move at all. His elbows and knees had the same joints that Bella had before, and so did his mouth.

"M-Moonlight...?"

The name was stiff and uncomfortable, and seemed to be the only part that could move on its own; his body was immobile. Moonlight grinned as he glanced over at Sean, a mischievous twinkle in his gaze as he snapped a finger. Almost as if he was covered and controlled by invisible strings, Sean's body moved on its own; he had no control, yet he stepped out from the booth and began to perform a silly dance routine, and Moonlight joined in - matching each step perfectly, as though he knew it like the back of his hand.

"How's that for a volunteer?" Moonlight laughed as he made Sean bonk his head with his own limb - it sounded as hollow as the rest of his body, and moved stiffly and strangely with each step and sway.

Sean tried to speak up, but this time he couldn't; it seemed Moonlight had caught on, and much like his body, Sean couldn't control his mouth or words anymore. The few members in the audience erupted into applause and laughter as Moonlight flicked his wrist, and Sean immediately burst back into action, doing several little silly spins and leaps along the stage, making a fool of himself - and the audience seemed more than pleased. Moonlight tilted his head, a smirk curling at his lips; well, this certainly made up for Sean being late - the audience loved him, just as he had hoped - everything was falling perfectly into place now.

Panic filled Sean from the inside out, but he couldn't do anything to alleviate it; what was happening to him? This wasn't right! He was a person, not some puppet; yet all he could do was dance and play the night away with each sway and routine Moonlight was making him down, with what was left of his sentient heart lurching in dismay at the realization of what he had been reduced to.

"Everyone, give it up for our lovely volunteer! Isn't he stunning?"

Another roar from the minimal crowd; as loud as they could be, anyways; and Sean's uncontrollable body scampered back to the center of the stage, performing one final spin and dance before he bowed dramatically, then slumped there for a good moment. Moonlight swept back his cloak and bowed as well, with Bella doing the same behind him, and the audience seemed to eat it all up much to their joy.

"Well, that's all for now, everyone - thank you all for coming to the show! My assistant, Bella, will be up at the front shortly to accept reservations for next week's performance! Thank you again, all of you!"

Several more bows later doubled with a standing ovation that encouraged Moonlight to make Sean do another silly dance number, eventually it was time for the curtains to close; and as they fell into place and the clapping was muffled, Moonlight grinned and turned to Sean's slumped marionette form in the middle of the stage.

"You did so well out there! Just as I had hoped...maybe your late arrival benefitted us after all." Moonlight chuckled, reaching over and grabbing Sean; he lifted the marionette with ease and dragged him backstage as Bella scampered away to attend to the ticket booth up front.

As Moonlight walked into the backstage area, Sean's gaze flickered around to get an idea of his surroundings; and was brought directly to a glass marionette case, empty with a blank nameplate.

"Welcome to your new home, Sean. I'm sure you'll love being apart of our little family."

Moonlight heaved Sean up to hang him in the case, positioning his limbs perfectly so that he wasn't slumped over or risked getting tangled in any "invisible" strings on his body. The rack in the case was sturdy enough to keep Sean upright; allowing him to see Moonlight close the case with a smile, offering him a wave before he stepped away - leaving behind his new performer until the next show.

~~~~

A week had passed before Moonlight's next show was due; and this time, they had sold out every single seat! The audience members from last time had returned, and it seemed the word had spread about Moonlight's show - encouraging others to show up and buy tickets both at the door and in advance. Peeking out from behind the stage curtain, Moonlight found himself grinning ear to ear at the sight of a full theater; perfect, just perfect. Behind him stood Bella, still flesh and bone and looking as beautiful as ever as she reached over, helping Moonlight readjust and brush off his cloak.

"You look stunning, sir. Are you ready to start the show?"

"But of course. Thank you - go ahead and head back to the booth, alright? I'll call for you if I need you."

Moonlight smiled, and Bella nodded, scampering off to leave her boss to his own devices. He turned away and headed backstage, back to where he left his little volunteer; and there sat Sean on his rack in the case, frozen like always - unable to move, only able to think and contemplate what had become of him. The nametag on the case was filled out this time, too. Moonlight always made sure to name his new marionettes.

"Time for your big moment, Sean. I hope you can knock it out of the park this time; we have a much bigger audience to please."

With that, Moonlight unlocked the case and pulled Sean off the rack before heading to the stage curtain. The lights dimmed, the curtain parted, and out stepped Moonlight with Sean, walking with him onto the stage as the spotlight shined on them.

"Everyone, please give a round of applause for Sean the Swimming Landshark, ready to swim right into your hearts on this very stage!"

As the applause erupted and the full crowd went wild, Sean's body moved automatically in place for his first routine of the night to wow the crowd, blissfully unaware of the truth behind their new source of entertainment.

Yet again, all eyes were on Sean.