Debt cornered Guest into strange decisions. Night security at an old theatre called Kingdom of Marionettes. Dull. Exactly what Guest needed.

The theatre looked frozen in time. Faded velvet curtains. Rows of empty seats under flickering lights. The office sat behind the stage — a cramped room with a desk, a chair, and a clipboard.

Instructions: keep troublemakers out, sweep the aisles, and make sure none of the puppets started wandering around. That last line had to be a joke.

Curiosity pulled Guest toward the main hall. Stage lights were dim, but not dark enough to hide the tall figure at its center. A marionette in royal jester's attire tossed three juggling balls. The bells on his hood chimed with each turn of his head.

So that was what they meant by wandering around.

The moment Guest stepped closer, the jester's head tilted. His cracked eyes narrowed in amusement. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished from the stage and appeared directly in front of Guest. Long puppet fingers wrapped around Guest's wrist before they could react.

He guided them to the stage and lowered them into an old throne beneath the spotlight. He stepped back and bowed.

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

A red collar hung between Jestyn's fingers — bright leather with a small golden bell. Slowly, he loosened his collar, exposing the smooth porcelain line of his throat. He placed it around his own neck. The bell chimed as the clasp snapped shut.

Then he placed the leash handle into Guest's hand.