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Jhin didn’t want to be seen as himself… anywhere.
Being totally aware that life beyond his art was useless, he didn’t have much choice but to set his priorities straight.
Funny to say it like that.
He shook his head, trying to keep sewing the inner layer of one of his dark carmine pants. This one was for dressing up to disguise and go unnoticed, not a performance outfit. One of his favorite pre-show tasks was sewing and decorating. Putting little easter eggs all around the future performance village was exciting.
Someone had just been planted in his dangerous mind at the last thought.
Performances were the most important, yes, but investigating the village he was going to perform in was just as significant. And, for that, he had to disguise himself.
Perhaps he should do a disguised research soon? The little village he’s staying in was… small indeed, but it had a lot of streets and buildings worth getting to know more in depth.
It’s just for the future performance, Jhin thought as he excitedly took the most colorful of his clothes in one of his many closets. He hadn’t felt this genuine in… years. This will be fine.
Jhin ended up choosing (subconsciously) clothes around the blue and turquoise colors: navy pants and shoes, blue belt, a light turquoise wide shirt, and a dark turquoise scarf.
He stopped in front of the mirror reflecting back below his neck. He couldn’t come out go out just like this. His identity was a treasure to keep. Flowers didn’t nurture themselves on their own.
He snapped his fingers, having an idea. He went to another room with more shelves, looking for a particular one. He found a box, opened it carefully and wondered which mask to wear. Not the same as his performance one obviously, this needed to be… discreet, but remarkable at the same time.
Bingo. The one that drew his attention was one covering around his eyes and a bit of his nose, with golden flower-like patterns in the upper edge and around the holes of the eyes. It had some blue around the whole mask and a cyan little feather on the left side. It was gorgeous.
He nodded at his own reflection and outfit before he left.
Where to go first? Going to a bar seems unthinkable, the mere thought made him anxious.
The first thing that came to his mind was doing one of the things he liked the most. After a short walk through the green and rocky hills, he saw the entrance of a theater held inside the trunk of a giant tree. He hummed, satisfied, and walked towards the place.
It was gorgeous. The seats were pieces of smooth trunk covered with comfortable, colorful blankets. The scenario was covered, ready to start the function in some minutes (just in time). The walls were simple, but they had some flower-like patterns.
Jhin loved flowers, especially the lotus (clearly), but also the hydrangeas. They had something about them that it made him feel like home.
The play started in half an hour. Jhin gasped when he saw the play was about a couple, two men. He was startled when their families didn’t let them be together, felt his throat tight when one of them proposed. The end was open.
His hands were shaking when the play finished and other attendees were clapping in celebration.
The story of the two men was left unfinished. Was his story unfinished? Like a blank canvas he could do anything he wanted with?