Planatae

Stage Fright

Ricardia opened her eyes, bleary and disoriented. She felt pressure on her shoulders, and belatedly realized that someone was shaking her awake.

"Huh - what are you doing?" She groaned, rolling over. Now that she was face-up, she could see her assailant, which was Sana, grinning wide. She pulled herself upright, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep.

"Time to go, princess," Sana grabbed the costume that Ricardia had left on the table earlier and tossed it to her. "Your debut moment has finally arrived!"

Ricardia sight her head as Sana pulled her to her feet and ushered her out of the room. "This is going to go terribly, isn't it?"

"Maybe!" Sana laughed as she stopped in front of a different door along the hallway, guiding Ricardia though. "But at least you'll look good doing it."

Sana was true to her word. The space she'd been brought to, which appeared to be both bathroom and dressing-room, boasted a huge mirror and an impressive display of cosmetics. It was where all the serving girls went before presenting themselves to the clientele, Sana explained, and now Ricardia was to experience the ritual.

She could only stare at herself, dazed, as Sana stripped off her gray, concealing outfit to squeeze her into the outrageous robe. Her curly hair, tied up for so long, was washed, brushed, and braided. In the aftermath, she could hardly recognize herself. Her outfit hugged her curves; the hair that hadn't been braided now fell in curtains across her shoulders. Her cheeks had aquired a delicate pink sheen - the green in her eyes popped bright against the mascara that framed it.

"You look spicy," Sana stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

Ricardia groaned. "I look like some - I don't know..." She trailed off, distracted by her own face. "Isn't it all a bit much?"

"Nothing is too much for the stage, sister." Sana tugged on her sleeve lightly - it was time to go, it seemed. "Time to see if you can sink or swim."

...

As Ricardia stepped into the club, the first detail she noticed was the absence of the Sandroom's central dance floor. A raised platform had been installed in its place, and atop it stood Dani, who was already yammering away to the crowd. Ricardia caught the last few snippets of her speech as they drew closer.

"...She's traveled over ten sectors to be here tonight, folks - a celebrated dancer in her home colony! Tonight's a special one-" Dani turned, spotting Ricardia. "-you'll get to see a performance that is sacred to the Caedish; a performance of skill, beauty... and featuring the power of a Factor." Sana pushed her forward as Dani pulled; together they deposited her right into the limelight. "Tonight, the lovely Ricardia will tell us a story, one that is told with the body, and the soul - not with words."

Despite the terror running through her, Ricardia couldn't help but feel a twinge of indignation. She felt like a parading animal, ready to perform a trick.

"Give her a hand, people, and enjoy the show!" Then Dani swept past to the sound of half-hearted applause, leaving Ricardia alone on stage. She was past terrified, now - there was just a numbness, as though nothing around her was real. For an impossibly long moment, Ricardia stood there, suddenly aware she had no idea what to do.

Then music, painful and familiar, filled the room. It was the Aura, the Tenth Form, and its opening notes passed through her like a bolt of lighting.

There were differences, of course, then to what she was used to. Her home city favored lighter wind instruments and a slightly faster tempo, but the melody itself was unmistakable.

Slowly, deliberately, Ricardia lifted her arms, crossing them above her head. She took a breath, then two, hesitating for a beat longer than she normally would. But she knew Dani was out there, watching, and so she released her Factor.