One, two.
One, two.
A row of uniform performers moved in sync, kicking out their feet to the rhythm of the warbling, fast-paced music.
Directing them from the front was a masked jester in patch-work clothing, twirling a scepter in fantastical fashion.
Throwing the spinning scepter into the air, the transfixed crowd of mechanical little men watched in astonishment as it's cylindrical form shifted into various shapes before their very eyes.
Dean stood amongst the performers, easily keeping pace with their synchronized movements as he sunk into the revelry alongside the others.
Without much behest from the others, he'd decided to take part in the performance and observe everyone in order to figure out the best way to gain Heyoka's favor.
He had learned that it was quite normal to fall into this frenzy, and was indeed the effect of Heyoka. That was why he had lost himself in excitement when he had first arrived, and additionally, why the little men had turned on him when he had exited the stupor.
Despite the invasiveness of this particular effect, it also made it a bit easier on himself as a performer. Leaning into the frenzy, quite paradoxically, gave him quite a clear mind, and made it easy for him to follow the movement of the others.
Still, at times, he thought back to the scene from when he had initially entered the psychedelic realm - the frightening pressure from an entity that controlled everything. For some reason, he could tell that this situation was decidedly different. The same stark horror wasn't present in the participants. Though the little men had turned on him in a disastrous form of betrayal, it was because he failed to participate in the game.
So he found comfort in the performance.
He didn't know how long he'd been here. He'd fallen in love with the rhythm of the performance, the excitement that came from the little men, and the attempts of the others at one upsmanship.
From these observations, he'd even gleaned quite a bit relating to the abilities of the others, which they used in an attempt to sway Heyoka.
Roger, unsurprisingly, was able to split himself into multitudes. Clones of himself moved across the stage, resulting in a strange sight. The ability would be quite impressive, if that is, he didn't have the grace of a lumbering beast. His attempts mostly included the construction of pyramids made of himself, that over time became increasingly more complex.
Cole had some sort of minor illusion capability. Although Dean couldn't be sure as to the degree of its effectiveness, it manifested in Cole as being little better than a common magician. Pulling things out of hats, minor changes in shape and size, and able to modify the appearance of clothing with speed. From Dean's perspective, the minor scale of its impact was likely more-so due to misuse by the owner, although it could have also been quite a minor ability.
Desmond seemed to have some sort of movement ability. As he swung from trapeze to trapeze, at times he'd bridge the gap by stepping across the air. He moved across the tent in graceful arcs, painting a stark contrast to the manic energy produced by the the others. Dean considered it the exact opposite of Cole's dilemma, where the ability was unsuitable for Heyoka's performance but it was being utilized masterfully.
Lyle, on the other hand, was very clearly blessed by more than just a singular entity. Dean didn't know how many, but he saw glimpses of multiple in the act that Lyle was very carefully refining. Items flew around him in carefully controlled chaos, a supernatural juggling act that would put the most experienced clown to shame. The items would appear from nowhere, made of materials that Dean had never seen. At times, he'd ride around on them, doubtless inspired by Heyoka's own act.
He thought he saw Heyoka watching the man, although he couldn't be entirely sure behind the mask.
There were others, of course, whose attempts were varying degrees of impressive. Men with superhuman physicality, balance, or speed.
Of course, Heyoka's performances were still blisteringly overpowering. Every single one varied, with no two acts alike. Astonishing feats of imaginative prowess that drove the little men shrieking to no end. He bounced around the tent, tumbling, flipping, pirouette-ing in a multi-colored blur. He carefully orchestrated the chaos of the tent, making a fool of the others in most instances.
As Roger tirelessly stacked himself into a pyramid, the spotlights shifted to Heyoka's striking figure. Wearing the striped polo-shirt of a bowler he stepped forward in mock-seriousness, flinging a bowling ball across the stage. It knocked Rogers in every direction.
'Strike!'
Cole would reach into his hat, attempting a trick, only for Heyoka's disembodied visage to appear with a - "BOO!" - leaving the man stumbling backwards onto the stage.
In bounding Mario leaps, he'd sweep past the cords connecting trapezes to the roof. With comically large scissors, he cut them whilst Desmond was mid-swing. The man was forced to pathetically descend to the ground.
His handkerchief dragon sailed under his command, as he stood at it's head with a sword pointed in the fashion of an unyielding knight. It's monstrous maw opened to consume Lyle's flying items, flinging him back onto stage.
Dean saw all of this, and watched Heyoka's reactions to the others closely. For the most part, the entity was entirely unphased. Outside of performing together with them, he paid no attention whatsoever. Attempts at communication would fail entirely.
Even when they would perform, he took their acts to be merely accouterments, elements that he would incorporate into the larger scheme of the performance.
There were very few moments that his attention would be diverted from the performance - Dean isolated these and attempted to understand what had caused them.
At one point, one of the other performers stepped out of line in a dizzying flurry of pyrokinesis, moving his body in an entrancing dance. He had stepped into a state of flow, and wasn't even aware of his own actions. Such was the appeal of the performance, the little men began to shift their attention almost entirely to his antics. Heyoka glanced over for a moment, and subsequently increased the intensity of his efforts, stabilizing the situation. Overwhelmed by Heyoka's performance, the man's rhythm was disrupted, messing up his performance.
As Heyoka wheeled madly around the tent, Dean thought he recognized a glint of schadenfreude from underneath the mask.
Stabilizing the situation - Dean thought. He recognized in that instant the difference between Heyoka and the puppet master entity - things weren't completely under his control. While the puppet master was directing his realm in its entirety, Heyoka was playing to the audience. He had to fight to maintain his position amongst the little men.Although everyone had to play the game, they weren't confined to a set role. They could create their own parameters and influence the audience as a whole.
'Everyone's playing….'
Dean's eyes constricted.
'Their attention - we're fighting for their attention.'
In a moment of clarity, the truth occurred to him.