:::[Lily Robinson] the Lady Deathe

[Cirque du Coeur Torve]

 

[Keppit]

Lily paced back and forth, back and forth backstage, just out of sight of the audience. The tips of her fingers were lodged in her mouth unproductively as she gnawed at non-existant fingernails. The poor woman was nervous as all get out... not only was this her first performance, but somehow she'd also managed to pull the opening slot in this first performance. As she waited she tried to run through her act in her head, but she was just a bundle of nerves... and this bodice! She grabbed the top of the corset she was wearing in both hands and hauled up on it. Then she thought better of it and shoved it back down where it belonged. She adjusted what little boobage she had and resolved to not touch it again... Wait... there was Zidler out there making an anouncement... Her! He was announcing her. She grabbed the edges of her cloak, checked again for the thousandth time that evening to make sure that she was wearing two pairs of gloves, and she blinked once at the contacts made to obscure her iris' and pupils into white orbs.... She was shaking slightly and she really couldn't think straight, but still she stepped out into the lights.

Lily Robinson walked calmly, and (what she thought) was seductively out to the center stage where she stood for a moment as her sombre music played out a haunting slow drum beat. She pretended to take in the sights of the stage and audience, trying to hit as many people with as blank an haunting a stare as she could. 'lady deathe, lady deathe, lady deathe...' was all that ran through her mind as she heard the drum beat of her music ramp up into something more musical, she heard the low notes of the piano kick in, and somehow she managed to give a hip thrust and fling that side of the cloak open as the cymbols came in. She knew this dance, it was sexy, but slow, practiced, but still fluid in all it's movements. She missed a step or two and almost stumbled through a particularly difficult spin, but she did manage it. As the music drummed down again she unfastened her cloak and held it out at arms length, using the special igniter in the left lapel to set the garment on fire. She held the cloak at arms length with as wicked a grin on her face as she could manage.

Then the music ramped up again, faster this time, almost Can-can style yet still managing to keep it's haunting melody. She flung the still flaming cloak directly behind her and thanked the gods that she hadn't managed to catch herself on fire while doing it. Then she began the fast part of the dance, high kicks here and there, and she didn't let herself think about anything other than 'sexy, lady deathe, sexy, lady deathe.' As she had previously practiced, she threw off little bits and peices of her costume, including her frilly overskirt and the top black glove on each hand, leaving two padded flesh-coloured gloves underneath. This was kind of fun. As the music melody died down so that it was barely audible, and the drums slowed and began to beat much like a heartbeat, Lily stopped her dance, and turned her eyes back to the audience. She stared at them all for a moment, then grinned evily, took up a bracing stance... and crossed her arms holding each elbow in a hand.... then she quickly ran her arms out, hands going from elbows to wrists, her fingertips touching each other last. That triggered the igniters in both her flesh-coloured gloves, making it seem like the woman had set her hands on fire...

She stood there grinning evily at the audience, as the gloves burned, flaked and dripped away from her skeletal arms. Then as the last flaming bits of glove dropped to the floor of the stage she pulled in one arm and regarded it quizzically with her blank stare. Then she pulled in the other one and looked at it... the drum heartbeat still going in the background. As she flexed the bone fingers in her left hand she turned to the audience, flexed all her fingers and laughed.... Threw her head back and laughed and laughed as evily and as heartfelt as she possibly could manage.

The drums picked up again, the melody came crashing back in, and her dance started again... only this time she took it out into the audience. Not quite touching anyone with her hands, but coming oh-so-close on many an occasion. She wanted to give the impression that once touched the men and women would die... she tried desperately to convey a feeling of sheer pleasure at the thought in her face. And surpisingly enough, now that she was nearing the end of her act she was finding that she was getting a pleasure high at the prospect of the idea... somthing in her really did want to do harm to... to who? ...

She spotted one woman in the audience and danced over to her slowly. She leaned over and stared the woman in the face, then she raised her hands and moved a lock of hair out of the lady's face, tucking it back up over her ear. Then she grinned as the music stopped for a split second, long enough for her to say one thing... "Time." And then she grasped the woman's face in her skeletal hands, and laughed... she kissed the woman on the forehead lovingly and then danced back up onto the stage, over to the center and hit her last mark just in time for the music to crash into it's final notes. The can lights hit her, bathing her in a dark red light, almost deep as blood and she turned into it beautifully... then the lights went out and she bolted for the wings, heart pounding in her chest from both nerves and a performance high...

When the red light faded back in a second later... she wasn't there. And the lights faded back up into something similar to what Zidler had used in his introduction.

Lily grasped the side curtain in both hands and giggled to herself as she scanned the audience. She'd done it... she'd finished her first performance and she had lived through it. It could only get better from here.