A Most Unusual Prey

Strie d'argent was not only the sound a Glameow would make while choking on its own hairball, but also Sinnoh's most luxurious and, dare she say, éblouissant theater and opera house, located in the middle of Hearthome, like a snooty jewel atop the head of a snooty crown. Not that she had anything against places like this. It's just that, considering how little Roark paid her to be his secretary, never in her wildest dream did she think she'd come here, and to watch an opera of all things.

She glanced to the side, eyebrows knit, glaring suspiciously at the woman who'd invited her. This… Shadi was good looking, she had to admit, but she couldn't have been more suspicious if she'd tried. And it was clear she had tried. That black, bellowing cloak of hers, those eerily lightless green eyes, that scar in her neck and that mysterious missing arm… Some would say 'Don't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth', but seeing as one of Sinnoh's most famous myths involved a giant wooden Ponyta and betrayal, she found the saying about as stupid as 'Don't look a gift arrow in the heel'.

Still, it beat eating cold pizza and watching art restoration videos all night.

The main singer for the show threw her hand up in the air, eyes closed, and finished the aria with a long, crystal-clear lament, her voice so sharp and strong it could probably break glass. She finished with a bow, the stage lights going off just a second after. Gentle applause filled the theater, and while her 'partner' couldn't quite follow suit, she did lean back on her seat and let out a glad sigh.

"This first half was a bit lacking in theatrics, maybe, but that voice of hers is like a dagger to the heart. In a good way, of course," said Shadi. "Don't you agree, Mint?"

Mint made a so-so gesture with her head. "It was... something alright. Not really my cup of tea, but I guess variety's the spice of life." She shot Shadi a side-glance, arms folded. "I'm more impressed that you could afford the tickets. Don't get me wrong, but you don't look like a woman of means."

"Oh, I am a woman of many means, just not the usual kinds," grinned Shadi, her eyes flashing ominously. "In all honesty, getting whatever you want in life is more easy than one would think. All you need is to know where to apply the right pressure, if you catch my drift."

"So… you stole them."

"I…" Shadi's smile turned into pursed lips. "Yes. Yes, I did steal them."

Far from being angry or uncomfortable, Mint simply raised one eyebrow slightly and whistled appreciatively.

"Nice," she whispered. "These fuckers have it coming if you ask me. That's what they get for never having the performances recorded and selling the tickets for an arm and a leg. Bunch of greedy fucks."

Shadi looked surprised, but she recovered quickly, once again drawing that smile of hers.

"It's a shame, yes," she whispered. "But if everything were free, then it wouldn't be quite as fun to… take it for yourself. Especially when you're not meant to."

Not only did her voice seem to deepen unnaturally at that last sentence, but Mint could have sworn the black of her cloak shifted slightly, as though it were made of woven shadows.

She simply raised an eyebrow. "You know... you phrased that like a real asshole, but I kinda know what you mean."

Shadi's expression froze again. She wasn't quite getting the reactions she'd been hoping for, which could only mean that she had to… step it up a notch.

She chuckled to herself, looking down toward the stage, where the second act was just about to begin. An idea took form in her mind. Mint made for quite the charming company, yes, but what fun was there if she didn't spook her a little bit at least? As such…

"I have to wonder, though…" she said. "If this show couldn't use a bit more... spicing up. I'd be mortified if I didn't show my date the most interesting time possible, after all."

"I was really hoping you'd say 'good' instead of interesting," muttered Mint. "What do you mean, though?"

The giddiness in Shadi's face was hard to miss as she finally got Mint to take the bait. Subtly, a smile on her face, she turned to look at the girl and, just at the right moment, made her eyes flash that faded, icy blue as the shadows around her thickened, pooling around them.

"Oh, I'd be more than happy to show you."

And at that, Shadi stood up and raised her hand, thumb pressed against her middle finger. There was a snap, and the stage below fell into absolute darkness. Deep, thick shadows seemed to fall from the ceiling downwards like some sort of liquid, and Shadi's shadow itself stretched in all directions like they were strings, attaching themselves to something behind the red curtains.

Mint's eyes went slightly wide, but judging by the lack of reaction from the rest of the audience, they couldn't see the shadows like she could.

"...Huh."

"Now, how about I show you a real spectacle?" said Shadi, her voice soft yet booming with power. "Let us begin our little Aria of the Abyss."

Lights illuminated the stage once more as the singer emerged, but they were… wrong. Askew, uncanny, as though it were only a pale imitation brought about by the absence of shadow instead of by the presence of light. As the singer took a step forward and threw her hand up, her voice came out… different. It was still that sharp, beautiful falsetto they'd heard before, but this time it was laced with something else. A booming that dulled the senses. It made the song sound more like a lullaby than an aria.

Stranger than that, however, was the way the woman moved. Erratically, jolting everywhere like she was being moved by strings. Not to mention her eyes were closed the entire time. And as if that weren't creepy enough, as she was moved about like a puppet, dancing and gesticulating alongside the rhythm of the song, something else happened. Thing, sharp-fingered limbs of darkness emerged from the ground around her. Some of them pushed her up when it looked like she were about to fall. Others grabbed her limbs and tried to pull her down before she freed herself and continued the song.

Then, almost at the end, a few dozen of them erupted in a ring around the woman, grabbing onto every part of her and covering it entirely in shadows. She was engulfed for a few seconds, and then the shadows poofed into smoke. The smoke thickened, solidifying into a substance half between gas and solid which now formed the singer's new dress, black as obsidian. After that, when she resumed her song, it was deeper, more melancholic. Like a lament for someone who had passed.

And all throughout, the audience was loving it. They probably thought these were some amazing special effects, and considering that both Shadi and Mint were in the highest spot in the theater, no one could see her partner standing up, moving her one arm like she were moving a baton, directing the entire thing.

When the end finally came, the singer smiled, eyes still closed, and bowed in a manner that was very uncanny and robotic before exiting the stage, eliciting much applause from the audience.

"Ah… now that should do it."

Shadi's eyes returned to normal. She looked all around the audience, clearly enjoying the praise, and with a proud 'Hmph' she sat down again and let out a pleasured sigh. Then, trying to quell her excitement, she turned to look at Mint again, an expectant smile on her face.

It didn't take long to drop. Mint didn't look spooked in the slightest. As a matter of fact, she was leaning back on her seat, smoking a cigarette, nodding appreciatively at the stage below.

"A… are you smoking?" asked Shadi, her voice thin. "In a theater? I… don't think you're allowed to do that."

Mint shot her a glance that seemed to say 'Are you for real right now?'

"Hey, you invited. You can deal with the consequences if I'm caught," she shrugged. "Anyway… that was a pretty neat trick. And you're right, it did spice up the show a lot."

"O-oh… thank you?"

Shadi looked like a Magikarp out of water, and as soon as that almost imperceptible smug smile formed on Mint's lips, she realized she'd been had. All her attempts had been for nothing.

"Don't feel bad," said the girl. "Your thing's cool and all, but before I was Roark's secretary I worked at retail since I was fifteen. You could bite a baby's head off and I wouldn't bat an eye."

"...I see."

Mint noticed the disappointed look on Shadi's face and rolled her eyes. Still…

"Like I said, it was fun. And hey, it's not like I have anything else to do for the rest of the night," she said, taking a drag of her cigarette and shooting Shadi a meaningful glance. "Wanna come over to my apartment after this?"

As much as she tried to stop it from happening, a slight blush did inevitably form on Shadi's cheeks.

"That… sounds nice, yes."