☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- You know, the new items were very popular with customers, so I'm always open to new ideas, although I can't promise to reward your efforts as generously as last time.

- Really? They... They actually liked them?! 😳
For a moment, it seemed like the tall, battle-hardened woman had transformed into a small, awkward girl in a faded, patched-up leotard, with some of the sequins already falling off. At least, the sudden expression of naive delight, embarrassment, and happiness would have been more fitting for such a girl.

Beata didn't particularly enjoy working in the circus. She was tolerated mostly out of pity, constantly criticized, considered a burden, and scolded for being lazy. Thanks to her natural agility and strength, she became a very gifted acrobat, but the ringmaster was not interested in her talent or the artistry with which she performed – he cared more about her bringing in more money than she consumed. Several other acrobats who trained her turned out to be rather mediocre mentors – as long as she didn't break her neck, and she managed to do something, and it was good enough, just do it like me, and figure it out yourself if something doesn't work. Fortunately, a magician who stayed with them for about a year taught her to read and write before leaving the circus without much regret. The troupe frankly didn't care about Beata; they had enough problems without her. There were no other children in the circus, and they never stayed anywhere for long, so Beata had no friends among adults or peers.
This could not help but affect her character.
She was not given attention – and she began to demand it with her wild antics.
She was criticized for her lack of money – and she began to get money herself.
She lacked love – and she discovered the world of adult entertainment too early.
All of this did not help at all, but only exacerbated the situation, turning a lonely, wild girl into a juvenile delinquent and criminal, leaving her with fewer and fewer chances that one day she would receive enough attention and love and find peace in her soul.
But still, there were moments when this didn't seem impossible. And these moments happened when she was performing under the circus dome.
Beata loved to improvise, adding new tricks and stunts to her performances. The other circus performers scolded her for this, again accusing her of having a bad character and being willful, but she still couldn't resist this habit; each time, she promised to do the act as rehearsed, and each time she added a couple of new sequences or some elements from another performance, and stayed in the arena for a few minutes longer than she should.
The management regularly gave her a dressing down.
But...
But the audience liked her performances. They generously rewarded her with applause and sometimes asked her to perform an encore.
Beata remembers how, after her first real solo performance, when her age was a single-digit number, she cried for a long time, unable to believe that the applause was directed at her alone, that she had done something good for so many people and they were now praising her. That evening, even the scolding from the circus owner didn't upset her much.
However, over the years, they managed to wear her down.
Unlike the audience, her colleagues never praised her, only pointing out flaws, meeting improvisations with coldness, and dismissing suggestions for new acts – as if she knew anything, you little fool. Her creative nature hit a wall of indifference, and after a while, she didn't care either. Even the applause no longer gave her the same joy as in childhood – because if her acquaintances didn't care about her, then strangers were definitely just applauding out of politeness.
Therefore, when she was finally kicked out for all her antics, she wasn't particularly upset and didn't particularly want to continue her career as a circus performer or try her hand at some other kind of creativity. If everyone doesn't care, why should she care?

But it turned out that they did care. It turned out that the creator in Beata had not died, but was only sleeping, and now it was slowly beginning to awaken in a new form. That she was capable not only of destroying but also of creating something beautiful. That not everything was lost for her.
In addition, half of the designs belonged to Guion, for whom a creative streak was also not alien. Guion, who was able to prove himself, including thanks to her support. Who, like her, had never been good enough for those around him, who had been suppressed and told that he was good for nothing for most of his life, and not allowed to show himself in all his glory. After all, if it weren't for her, he might not even be alive now, if you remember how he was treated in Lower Lunaria.
- It's... So nice to hear! - she beamed, returning from the heavens to earth. - So, we're in? We are, right? - she looked questioningly at her companion.
- We are, we are. It's not just you who has a head full of brilliant ideas, you know, - he smiled.
- Great! - Beata clapped her hands. - And the fact that the reward won't be as generous is not a big deal. After all, it's more like a nice bonus for the opportunity to express ourselves and make our world a little more beautiful.
- Yes, the priorities are a little different now, - Guion agreed. - But we're glad you're open to new ideas. We'll try not to disappoint!

The couple says goodbye and goes home to draw flags and fill out tests, as well as listen to music on a hurdy-gurdy and fight a week-long lack of sleep, which I will probably lose, so it's not a fact that I'll be able to do everything today.

P.S. I barely cried over the paragraphs about Guion, now I'm crying over the paragraphs about Beata