The Dark Circus

Tai

You proceed towards the circus.  It seems like this area connects to ruins of a large, modern city to the north and some kind of hoighty-toighty bunch of houses to the west.

As you get closer, you find that the entire fairground is surrounded by a fence.  Not so surprising, you have to keep people from sneaking in without paying admission.  Not so common for them to have barbed wire, turrets, and guard towers...  And several armed guards around the main entrance.

There's a pair of seemingly identical tents and a large midway.  You can see the midway from here.  Several booths are set up, but the attractions don't look like the usual circus fare.  A guillotine reverse-rigged into one of those bell ringing games is the first to pop out at you.  A pendulum blade ride.  As you keep looking, you start noticing a trend.  An empty set of rope restraints...  You start to notice a trend.

Natsumi seems a bit nervous.  "This is...  Mmm..."

"Hello!"  A brown-haired woman with glasses greets you at the main entrance.  She's dressed in a green hat with a feather, a short, red ascot, a green cloak-esque top, white pants, and knee-high brown boots.  She puts down a large tome as she greets you.  "Welcome to The Dark Circus, presented by Bairbre!  Three young adult tickets will be- oh, my!  Is that Miss Tsuchimikado?  I see you're here for business.  I'm impressed, her bounty was just posted this morning.  Please, step this way and my associate will be glad to assist you."  She gestures to a different entrance.

"Oh, and...  If you would be so kind?"  She hands Kai a set of shackles and motions to Natsumi.

"Um...?" Natsumi mutters.  She looks at Tai, then at you.  She's clearly concerned, but she meekly, obediently extends her arms for you to bind her.  "If I... have to...  I guess it's fine..."

Kai

Natsumi nods and lets you lead her along.

The other entrance leads into a small office.  A half-dozen heavily armed and armored guards glare at you as you walk in.  Another woman almost identical to the one at the main entrance is sitting at a fancy desk.  "Hello there!" she says as you walk in.  She starts rifling through another tome.  "I see you brought in a bounty for us!  Is this your first time working for us?  Don't worry, it's a snap.  Now...  Natsumi... Tsuchimikado, Natsumi...  Here we are!"  She makes a bemused face.  "My, my.  Posted anonymously, huh?  But quite a sizable reward!  I don't know who you pissed off, but it looks like your really stepped in it.  You're scheduled fo-o-o-o-o-or...  One week of public humiliation on the midway!  There's also an optional three-day torture upgrade and... optional public execution package."

"E-exe...cution...?" Natsumi stammers.

The woman nods, pauses, looks between Tai and Kai, then decides Kai must be in charge and looks at him as she continues.  "So that's a payment of 200G if you hand her over for the base package, and that's just the humiliation package.  Now, you can add three days in the torture-torium onto that, the pay goes up to 500G and we add this nifty little... whatever this is as a bonus."  She holds up a white shard.  You can feel your orb resonating, like it's trying to reach out for it.  "And if you decide to subject her to public execution, that pay goes up to-o-o-o 5,000G, plus this little pointy thing.  Oh, and complimentary, front-row tickets to enjoy the show are included for whatever you choose.  Naturally."  She slides you a sheet of paper with a few tick boxes.  "Just initial by your selection and sign your name.  Then we'll get you your money while we get her all set up."

'I agree to surrender the bounty target (Natsumi Tsuchimikado) to The Dark Circus for the following, in exchange for the listed rewards:
__ Public Humiliation, 7 days (200G)
__ Humiliation, 7 days, and Torture, 3 days (500G+white shard)
__ Torture, 10 days, and Public Execution (5,000G+white shard)'

Followed by some legal jargon, including a guarantee of her survival (excepting if you choose an execution, of course).  Also something about your payment being reduced if you don't come to pick her up on time.

It ends with a line for you to sign your name.

Natsumi looks at you, starts to protest, then bites her lip.  "I...  If you...  If we need money or that shard so badly, then I will...  I will submit to your decision..."

Kai

"Shut up, Tai!  Kai wouldn't... do this if he didn't really need to.  It's not like he just wants to see me suffer!" Natsumi protests.  "He'll be back to pick me up as soon as it's over.  I-I'll be waiting for you...!"

The woman takes the contract, quickly glances over it, and nods approvingly.  "Very good, everything's in order.  I'll be back in just a moment.  In the meantime, you're free to check the other bounties we have available.  Take her away!"

A guard slaps a chain on Natsumi's shackles and forcefully drags her along and out of the room.  The woman joins them, disappearing for a few moments.  You notice a large board, listing several bounties...

"Annnnd here are your complimentary passes!"  As she returns, the woman produces two tickets and hands them to Kai and Tai.  "Now, those will get you into the park today only.  You're free to enjoy watching her suffer as we get your reward together!  Would you prefer we begin with her public humiliation, or would you rather us get right to the torture?  You can come back another day if you want to experience both.  ...You will be joining us today, I trust?"

Kai

"Alright. You'll want to head down The midway, then head into the tent on the left. The park closes in 10 hours, but this office is open all day. After you've had your fun, you can come collect your pay." She gives you a sickeningly sweet smile and waves as you leave.

You follow her directions, noticing they don't have many 'exhibits' out right now. Mostly a few normal carnival games and rides, just re-skinned with a dark theme. You also notice a lot of decorative bats all around. They're all... unfittingly, disturbingly cute.

When you reach the tent marked 'torture-torium' another of those near-identical women, this one in black, greets you. She leads you into the tent and takes you to Natsumi's exhibit.

A series of short fences divide up the displays and keep customers back. A sign on the fence has Natsumi's name and a short blurb about her. A timer set by the fence displays 000, and a coin slot on the top is labeled '1G.' The display consists of a large, clear tank full of water and ice. Natsumi, dressed in a two-piece swimsuit, black collar, and a harness, is suspended over the tank. Chains bind her wrists behind her back, and heavy weights are wrapped around her ankles. She's standing on a thin board over the top while a worker pours in more ice. She stretches to dip her toe in the water, letting out a sharp gasp and recoiling when she touches it.

"As you can guess, this timer counts down until those chains drop her into the tank before slowly hoisting her back out," your guide explains enthusiastically. She gestures to the coin slot. "The timer varies each drop, and she can't see the remaining time, adding to the experience. It's a fully automated system, but guests can place a coin in the timer to speed things along; it's on a rather conservative countdown to encourage more spending, of course. That collar on her neck is a Bairbre original invention. It monitors vitals like heart rate and body temperature to ensure we don't push her too hard, and can trigger several safety lockouts. We have to protect our investments, after all. Now, this morning we have an ice bath prepared, but if you have any other suggestions, we'd love to hear them."

Natsumi looks up at you and smiles nervously. "H-hey, guys. You... You really didn't need to come watch this...!" The worker pulls the board away, leaving her suspended in the air. Natsumi gasps and looks terrified, then forces that awkward smile back on her face. "Don't... Don't worry! I can get through this. F-for you..." She stares at Kai.

Your guide gestures to a small button hidden on the back of the timer and nods at you. "Assuming this is a satisfactory arrangement, I'll allow you to do the honors."

Kai

Natsumi closes her eyes when Kai starts playing with the button, then gradually opens them again, staring at him nervously. "Stop, Tai. I'll... do what I have to do. If... I-if he wants me to... to suffer, th-then..." She gulps.

"I'm afraid leeches wouldn't survive water this cold," the guide says apologetically. She continues in a charming customer service voice. "If you'd prefer scalding water, or a different liquid, it could most likely be arranged. Or, if you prefer, a different torture method entirely? We have a wide variety of standard equipment, and we will do our very best to accommodate any special requests." She gives a polite bow. "Please, tell us how we can make your experience as miserable as possible!"

Kai

A pair of guards walk up to stop Tai from attacking Kai.  They place a hand on either of his shoulders.  When Tai looks at them, he notices they seem somehow inhuman.

"Mmm.  I'm afraid not..." your guide answers.  "We do accept new members that aren't listed on the board, we just can't offer bonuses.  Unfortunately, we do have a handful of individuals who are blacklisted that we can't accept, including your friend.  Although, that's...  If you really want to, you could speak with my manager and we may be able to work something out.  You'll need to subdue him yourself, but...  But!  Hold that thought.  For now, we need to decide what to do with your little friend.  Come along, walk with me for a moment."

The guards keep Tai here while the guide drags Kai along.  Natsumi calls down to him while they walk away.  "Tai, would you just... chill out?  It's fine.  Really.  I'm OK."


The guide escorts you along, showing off some choices.  "Now, I get the impression you're looking for something with a bit more... flash.  And you may need to temper your expectations.  You're more likely to find that next door at an execution, or on the midway.  If you'd like to enjoy the spectacle, we could swap the public humiliation to today and perform the torture on some day that you aren't around?  We've got a few more options to consider first, but keep that option in mind...  Annnnd we're walking, we're walking..."

"If you're looking for a bit more flash, I have three recommendations for you.  We could go with either the hotplate or electric shock.  Neither is particularly visually impressive, but both tend to elicit more... animated responses.  But I think what you're going to like is..."  She stops and gestures with all the enthusiasm of a car salesmen.  "This!"

She points to a large wheel on the ground.  It has several differently colored segments.  "We strap the victim in on the middle there; every so often the wheel gives them a good spin and that chooses what torture will be inflicted upon them until the next round!  It's not as... intense as some of the tools we have, but it's got plenty of variety - all the fun and excitement of gambling!"  She points to a small computer with another coin slot.  "Between rounds, guests can bid to increase or decrease the odds of different tortures.  Electric shock is always a fan favorite!  So?  What do you think?  Should I strap her in?  Or maybe I should start warming up that hotplate or the electric chair?  Or are we sending her to the midway for now?"

Kai

"Very good, sir."  Another polite bow.  "We'll have it prepared in just a few moments."  She speaks quietly into a small headset.  A few guards escort Tai over while some workers start bringing Natsumi down.

As promised, she's soon strapped to the wheel instead, and her bio is similarly strapped to the fence.  Natsumi still has the same outfit, minus the weights and chains.  Your guide taps away at the computer, then walks through the fence and over to Natsumi.  With a smile, she stoops down and wipes some dirt off her.  "Shall we begin, then?"  She grabs Natsumi's foot and starts winding her back to spin, then pauses.  "Where are my manners?"  She walks over and lets you through the fence with a bow.  "She's all yours."