The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he gazed out at the unmoving mass, eyes fixed with deadly intent upon his figure. The shift in atmosphere was too dramatic for him to react, and his head spun wildly as he stood frozen on the spot, wondering idly if he had done something wrong. The little men closest to him, bristled, mechanical hackles raising as they made as if to step forward when -

"Hey - what's the big deal hot-shot - it's a party so dance!"

From just beyond his reach, a hand stretched out and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him off balance. He turned rapidly to see one of the performers, an acrobat, with a mask that seemed to slyly grin, motioning back towards the stage.

"Turn the music back on!"

All at once, as if it was just some strange fever dream, the fast-paced circus music began blaring and the little men returned to dancing as if nothing had happened. Dean didn't even have time to register what was going on, before the acrobat leaned in and spoke in a breathy whisper -

"You're not from here - follow my lead."

With that, he released his grip on Dean's shoulder and made for the exist in gyrating motions. Dean watched after him flummoxed.

'I have to do that?'

Without further complaint, he followed the man on his path of humiliating retreat, until they burst out on the other side of the tent flaps, exposed to the brisk night air.

Dean collapsed onto his knees, exhaling after the tense experience.

"Consider that your warm welcome to Heyoka's realm -"

Speaking thusly, the acrobat removed his gaudy mask, revealing wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He looked down at Dean's prostrate figure with a knowing smirk.

"You're from Earth, aren't you?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"….and this is Dean. He lives in the States."

The blonde man, Lyle, slapped him on the shoulder zealously as he introduced him to the others.

There were three of them, spread out within the performers' lounge, which felt oddly reminiscent of a Hollywood set. Mismatched furniture and costumes scattered across the room. Lounging around inattentively, they seemed occupied by their own devices.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Lyle introduced him to the others, motioning towards the self-absorbed lot.

"Over there, sprawled on the couch, is Cole."

He nodded towards a young man lounging lackadaisically on a red velvet couch. Barely lifting his head, he glanced absently at Dean through strands of jet-black hair, before returning to stare at the ceiling.

"That's Roger in the corner,"

Lyle gestured again, towards a thin, wiry man who spoke to himself in the corner, hands moving animatedly.

He looked like he was in an argument. Judging by his expression, he was losing.

"And the gloomy guy over there is Desmond."

The last one was hunched over a gilded mirror, tense and brooding. He scrutinized his own reflection, tilting his head from side to side.

"That's not quite right…"

"So that's the troupe," Lyle looked over at him awkwardly, with a forced smile that left certain things unsaid.

'I'm glad you're here'

"There's some other guys like us here, but they're not too keen on having a newcomer around. Makes for more competition."

Dean waved his hand in a motion of swatting flies.

"In my opinion, may the best man win! Anyway, I'm getting tired of this place, so the sooner somebody does it the better."

Dean looked over at him strangely.

"…Does what?"

Lyle raised an eyebrow, bemused.

"You're kidding, right? You do have a tablet, don't you? Don't tell me you're just a day-tripper."

"A tablet?"

Dean echoed, attempting to piece things together.

"Yeah, I've got one of those, but I still don't get what you're talking about. What exactly are you guys doing here?"

Lyle considered him for a moment, then gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Ahh, you must be new,"

He spoke the words with a grin.

"Come here, Padawan. Let me enlighten you."

He motioned to a couch adjacent to Cole's where they both sat. After overcoming his initial surprise, Dean sat and listened intently to Lyle's explanation.

"We're Psychonauts,"

Lyle pointed at each member of the room in turn.

"Different from the average trippers who pop in and out of these realms without a clue. We're anchored. Each of us either found or was given a tablet that ties us to a realm. It's kind of like a passport, that allows us to navigate and interact with these places with a bit of control. At least, as much as control exists in this place.

Dean glanced around, considering each member of the room in turn.

"So why are you guys here, in Heyoka's realm?"

Lyle's eyes shone with a new light.

"We're here to map it, study it, and most importantly, to win Heyoka's favor. See, if you get close to an entity, or for the stupidly lucky, if you have the right kind of affinity, they'll agree to give you an ability. It's sort of like striking a deal, but you've got to be careful and spell out the terms. No funny business with these entities; they're tricky."

He leaned in close, voice dropping an octave.

"Heyoka's a mid-level entity at least, maybe higher. If we manage to impress him, the ability he'd bestow would be pretty powerful. But the trick is figuring out how to win his favor. It's all about his realm and that show he likes to put on."

Dean leaned in in turn, completely immersed.

"How do you go about doing that?"

Lyle threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Hell if I know! We've been working on it for a while, but nobody seems to be getting any closer. We think it has something to do with putting on a big enough performance or doing something that genuinely surprises him. He thrives on chaos, after all. Here's the kicker though: once an entity decides to attach to a human, they usually won't do it again. It's one-and-done. So, it's a race to be first."