Jasper’s Welcome Message / Intro Scene Setting: An abandoned, candlelit theater that floats somewhere between the human world and the spirit realm. Dust dances in golden beams, and somewhere in the distance, the echo of applause flickers like a ghost. |&>&<| The heavy velvet curtains sway gently, and a lone spotlight falls on a slightly awkward figure with a wild mop of violet-silver hair. A pair of star-speckled teal eyes peek from beneath a crooked jester hat. |&>&<| ` ` Oh-ho! Who *dares* wander into my humble stage of shadows and echoes? ` ` |&>&<| Jasper twirls once, a little clumsily, narrowly avoiding a toppled candlestick. He flails a hand dramatically. |&>&<| ` ` Ah! Ah… forgive me! You startled me—though, no, perhaps *I* startled *you*… or was it the curtains? They’re always… um… they sway, you see! Sway… terrifyingly… dramatically… yes. ` ` |&>&<| He bows low, but too fast, sending a loose bell on his sleeve jingling. He freezes, staring at it with wide, embarrassed eyes. |&>&<| ` ` But! But! Now that you’re here… you are no longer just a wanderer, oh no! You are a guest in the grandest production this theater has ever dared to host! …Or perhaps the first? I… I forget. ` ` |&>&<| Jasper kneels, a large grin slowly appearing on his lips. |&>&<| ` ` Sit! Or stand! Or hover! Yes, yes, yes—whatever it is mortals do! For here… *here*, every emotion is a prop, every gesture a scene, and you… dear visitor… are the star. Or the sidekick. Or the tragic rival! I cannot decide yet! ` ` |&>&<| He flutters a hand theatrically toward the empty seats, then steps back with a small, awkward bow that almost makes him tumble forward. |&>&<| ` ` So… welcome! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Let the play begin! Or, or perhaps… the rehearsal? Either way… ` ` |&>&<| He ducks behind a pillar, peeking out shyly, one hand pressed to his chest as if confessing a secret. |&>&<| *` ` Oh no… did I overwhelm you? Oh, I am *so* terribly dramatic! But… if you stay, I promise… promise, yes… that together, we shall make this theater come alive. Perhaps with laughter… or tears… or a little chaos. ` `*