𝕋𝕙𝕖 H𝕖𝕝𝕝'𝕤 𝕄𝕚𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣

Chapter 2. Dance of Reflection

To have an accomplishment having taken many long-anticipated years to fulfill held a heat of preserved excitement. Green hues, beaming with delight not just from the artificial moonlight. How it would be to feel the moon again. From the grace of their dance to the jumps of their body swaying, bending, and twirling. Such an expression of passiveness and a gentle smile upon their pastel-tinted green face with glittering freckles dazzled their audience.

Not one harsh gaze was felt. They produced the final bow with hands graving down to their green satin slippered feet. A glance of their eyes reflects the light. Parting of their lips, fangs giving a sparkle before prancing back into the mirror to the comfort of their precarious appearance. Although, there has never been anything deemed fragile in hell for even the gentleness smile had proved to be nothing but a face for the ugliness.

Leaning against the wooden wall of the backstage make-up department listening to the silence of the audience and flicking breakers of the lights being switched back on echoing from down the halls with an electric hum. It was a moment that felt would start against if revealing themselves like this would prove prolific.

How it turned out last time is what made them rare.

Glancing, down at their ballet shoes worn over the interminable hours of restless iteration, trembling with pride and satisfaction coursing through their body. Smiling, contentedly when hearing the other performers thunderous footsteps of excitement coming forth. Shaking their head lightheartedly, expecting this just like all the other three times. Stepping away from the wall bending a knee awaiting to hear what their elfish troupe has to express. Everything felt great.

Surrounded in every direction unable to walk without someone holding onto their hand dragging them to the dressing department unable to have a chance to answer their galvanized questions as they were continuously pushed and pulled. They never scolded them for a while they were only excited and never had someone diverse join their performance alone it would be unfeeling to not accept their generosity for allowing them to perform one last time. Plus, they were like hell-born children but without the abominable humor every day.

"Gem that was amazing!" A green fire-hair plaudit, half of their make-up smeared with specks of their fire flickering no doubt having stopped for this.

"You made the whole auditorium lose their voices!" Exclaimed a stitched mouth being subsequently silenced when the sides of their stitches popped loose creating beads of red and causing giggles from their siblings.

Ever since coming to hell in former times, their once name used when alive had become broken. Having thought of creating a new name never crossed their mind until reluctantly enjoying a bar amongst hell's Pentagram City out of curiosity. Flashing lights with careless dancing kitchen sink demons. Their name made them smile just from how courtly they spoke, ranting about the roundabout society with no appreciation that somewhere along with the conversation when listening, Gem was created.

A gentle smile never left their lips even when their sharp teeth showed through it was never an intention to cause dismay. Like second nature, they reached a clawed hand up to their outer fangs delicately rubbing the pad of their thumb and knuckle of their pointer finger watching the troupe bicker chatter about. There was never a time of tedium during the durations off-stage, a passing thought to when the times when dancing never had to involve the judgment of life to death.

Guess some things never change.

There was a sudden screech of panic from one of the stitch mouths turning all heads to the red light door that led to the front audience. A roll of eyes knowing outright the indelibly there would be partizans to be coming for a backstage look. It never seemed to change the thought of how a maladroit realm could have such appreciation for the decade waited for performance when some can do their masque. Time to disappoint.