The Masquerader and the Jester [Rascal x Female Reader]

Chapter 14: Fly Me To The Moon

Chapter Song: "Heavenly Garden" -Park Hyejin (DEVSISTERS)

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"I look so stupid."

"No, you don't! You look out of this world~!" Rascal nudges you and winks before glancing back at the Looking Glass mirror to snicker. Fortunately, he hadn't used it to suck you inside and have you live out your sugar-coated dream of owning a circus. But staring at the current reflection made you question whether this alternate use of the Looking Glass was any better.

Your deadpan eyes behind the mask peer back at you, conveying a strong, unspoken hatred. Thanks to Rascal, you were now dressed in a loose-fitting pink onesie with curly, poodle-like fur. This same faux fur also covered the pink avant-garde boots, paw-shaped mittens, and two detachable tails he had you wear. In addition to this, Rascal had enchanted another mask onto your face to conceal your identity. Unlike the Venetian Pierrot mask you wore to Tivoli Gardens, this one resembled an unknown creature that could be best described as alien. The entirety of it was white with a yellow star-shaped nose, a painted purple smile, fake rosy cheeks, and thick black lashes around the eye holes. To top it all off was an old-fashioned, pink bonnet, floppy poodle ears, and two sets of striped antennas. Rascal appeared equally unrecognizable but nowhere near as ridiculous. Thanks to your begging and pleading, he wore a disguise and a full-face mask like yours. Surprisingly, he had agreed without protest, knowing full well that he couldn't be as lax as last time, especially after getting caught stealing the Heart of Pierrot.

Rascal wore a skin-tight, electric green bodysuit similar to his usual attire, but without the clownish aspects. The black platform goth boots, spiked choker, vinyl claw gloves, and spiky hoop earrings in his pierced elven ears accentuate his outfit further. His mask was the same shade of green as his clothing and included beady black eyes, painted black lips, and a creepy grin with blue, needle-like teeth. He had also gone through the trouble of spray-painting his multi-colored hair black and styling it into liberty spikes with small black baubles at the tips. Altogether, you found his appearance a bit terrifying, but Rascal argued that extraterrestrials had vastly different outlooks on what was considered scary compared to humans. It was difficult to decipher whether he was telling the truth or using this as an excuse to dress how he wanted. But in the end, it didn't matter. His excitement and willingness to dress up alongside you made you feel less alone.

"Is everything alright, dearie?"

"Sorry! I must have zoned out again!" You take your eyes off the Looking Glass reflection to answer him. "Everything's great!" Rascal frowns, unconvinced by your response. An awkward silence passes before you exhale and shake your head. "Okay, fine! You got me! Everything isn't great! I'm feeling so nervous, and it's eating away at me. It's my fault we got caught stealing the Heart of Pierrot. You told me Chang'e is serious when it comes to protecting her empire. I don't want to mess everything up! What if this time we aren't so lucky? What if––"

"Relax! Everything will be just fine! We've been improvising, creating characters and backstories, and practicing three times a week for the past month and a half, have we not?" You slowly nod, leading Rascal to pat your shoulder in reassurance. "That's right! We've worked hard and prepared as much as possible. Both of us spent the last three hours rehearsing everything. If things go wrong, just improvise. I've seen a lot of improvement since you first started."

"Really? You have?"

"Of course! If I were you, I would be very proud. Replace that fear with confidence, and you'll be drastically reducing your chances of screwing up." Rascal stands up to his full height before withdrawing the Heart of Pierrot from one of his pockets. He cradles the golden locket in his palm, admiring it. "What matters is the end result! How we achieve that result doesn't matter nearly as much. That said, it would be advantageous to have the least amount of resistance possible. But we've had more time to prepare than we did at Tivoli, so I'm not too worried."