It is destroying me that I cannot ask you to dance.

I’ve missed you,” he whispers softly. The air between them is electric as he leans in, gently brushing his lips against her neck. In the next room, the guests complain about the sudden increase in temperature. Fans are drawn from colorful bags, fluttering like tropical birds.

Natural talent is a questionable phenomenon. Inclination perhaps, but innate ability is extremely rare.

We lead strange lives, chasing our dreams around from place to place.

Love is fickle and fleeting," Tsukiko continues. "It is rarely a solid foundation for decisions to be made upon, in any game.

You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus. You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.

Even the air feels different on Halloween, autumn-crisp and bright.