“What else could we have planned for tonight?” Lin shouted, riling up the crowd. “Will it take your breath away? Will it dazzle you?” Suddenly, he shushed them.

“Wait… Do you hear that?” Lin asked, eyes darting around between the audience’s faces.

A soft snake-like hiss lingered in the silence before building into a hissing song of drums, flute, and a seducing rattling sound.

“It sounds like our next act! The Viperous Beauty, ARIKA, and her vipers of death!”

The lights dimmed as Arika stepped into view, a muted spotlight shining directly on her. Her walk was a slow, but deliberate slink, taking time to spread her weight out on all the parts of her feet. She held her arms out, both for added presence and freedom for her assistant to move about.

Her assistant and ball python, Beau, peeked out from her hair. He wrapped himself around her shoulders, nestled in her soft curls.

“Is anybody in the audience frightened of ssnakess?” Her voice smooth, speaking in a light Parisian accent and drawing out her S’s. Showing a bit of thigh through the slit in her skirt, she walked close to the stands. “Trusst me, there’s nothing to be sscared of.”

Beau hissed, sliding through her curls, over her chest, and wrapping around her waist.

“This is Beau, my ball python companion.” She stopped in front of a section of the audience, letting them get a good look at the python resting at her hips. “And my first assistant of the night.”

She leaned backwards until she placed her hands on the ground, kicking one leg into the air as the audience gasped.

Beau slithered up her outstretched leg, his head hovering over the tips of Arika’s toes, flicking his tongue. She kicked her other leg into the air, doing a handstand as Beau switched to her other leg. The crowd clapped with amazement at her flawless balance and poise.

She traveled a few steps on her hands while Beau returned to her hips, starting to constrict a bit. She flipped back over, her skirt fluttering down as her feet landed on the ground, the audience cheering yet again.

Arika looked directly at Vivienne in the crowd, who shivered from the eye contact, a chill creeping up the small of her back.

“Thank you, thank you.” She curtsied, Beau back in her curls again. “Beau here loves a tight ssqueezze.” Beau visibly tightened around her shoulders and neck. “Within minutes, he could stop all blood and oxygen flow in your body, and swallow you whole within an hour.”

“His friends, however... are much more dangerous.” A cage to the side of the ring was illuminated with a spotlight. Lin flipped the curtain off the cage, revealing a number of snakes hissing and baring their fangs.

“I need one assistant from the stands, someone brave with a ssteady hand.”

Quicker than the audience expected, she turned suddenly and pointed at Velvet. “How about you?”

“Uh, sure.” Velvet forced a smile, eyeing the loyal snake slinking around Arika’s shoulders as the two walked toward her. “I don’t see why not.” She whipped her head, putting a stray hairstrand back in its place.

“Oh, you’ll do marvelous.” Arika reached out for Velvet’s hand.

Velvet took the snake charmer’s hand and the hairs on her arm stood on end. She raised an eyebrow, grimacing as she followed Arika to a stool in the middle of the ring.

“I assure you, they are tamed and perfectly safe—save their fangss,” Arika drew out next to Velvet’s ear. “Let’s see how well you do with my preciouss friends.”

The king cobra resting on Velvet’s shoulders reared back, fangs bare and ready to strike until—Arika clicked her tongue.

Cooing at the snake, Arika coaxed it back into her hands, planting a small kiss on its forehead before putting it back in the cage. The audience noticeably relaxed, having been on the edge of their seats during the act.

“You fared very well, young Velvet,” She complimented as Velvet headed back to her seat.

As Velvet sat down, she couldn’t help but sigh out of relief. She’d never been afraid of snakes per say, but having a venomous creature seconds from biting her was unsettling at best.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Arika chuckled.

She turned to the audience, announcing, “Beau and I would love to continue our gamess, but we need our beauty rest.”

As she slipped out of the ring, the audience went into cheers and whistles, both in awe of her act and her beauty.

Back in her tent, she held her arm out to Beau’s cage and cooed. He slithered down her arm and into the cage. She stroked the top of his head before he made himself comfortable in his log.

Smiling at her friend, Arika reached up to pull back her hair, braiding it off to one side. She stared into her vanity mirror, watching her fingers twist through her hair.

Berinhard stepped into view behind her, pausing in the entryway.

She smiled as soon as she saw him, turning to greet him with a slow smile. “How’d I do?”

He smiled back. “You did beautiful, ma miel.” Berinhard crossed the room, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

“You flatter me, love. I overdid my S’s today.”

“Non, was beautiful. As always.”