"Hellraiser getting higher, higher, higher, higher!
Bass blasting, thumping louder, louder, louder, louder!
Lust building! Thrill seeking! Blood burning! We're yearning!
Hell yeah! Give into your temptation tonight!"
The music could be heard a few blocks away from the Hellraiser as Aria's limo admitted defeat as the fly guy in the front seat told her this was as close as he could get to her destination as Aria saw block after block just choked with parked cars. Sighing, and taking a deep breath, Aria sent a thought to her choker as the fly guy got out and opened the door for her. As she stepped out of the limo, his bug-eyed gaze grew larger still as his jaw dropped at the sight of her!
"Heart beating, rushing faster, faster, faster, faster!
Thirst building, growing stronger, stronger, stronger, stronger!
Desire, on fire, our passion, in action!
Hell yeah! Give into your temptation tonight!"
Aria had chosen her bird form, which was a lutino cockatiel design with the normal yellow mask, orange cheeks, and cream colored feathers, but she sported a black beak, black legs, and orange claws. Her eyes were a simple black with orange pupils as she stood tall and imposing over the fly guy that had opened the limo door for her. She felt as tall as her demonic form in her original disguise as her cream feathers stood stark against a flowing, orange dress with countless sequins, her long, black bird legs strutting out for all to see through the tall slits that almost reached her hips. The dress was cut in the oriental fashion, the high collar and short sleeves sporting black floral designs, with the kanji symbol of fire encircled in black decorating the back of her dress. Wearing no shoes because of her clawed feet, and hiding her choker under her dress's design, only an orange and yellow flower clip could be seen on her feathered head to pull the ensemble together. She just hoped her dress design would keep her black and orange tail feathers in check, since she was sure she'd get her tail stuck in a doorway or have it get stepped on if it were out for all to see.
"See ya later, handsome!" Aria said as coquettishly as she could, opting for a more flirtatious personality she had been forced to master under The Stage, the ease of settling into it deeply disturbing her as she secretly enjoyed the fly guy's blush as she strung a long, feathered finger under his chin before leaving him there slack-jawed.
Knowing she was dealing with far more dangerous individuals here in Hell, Aria had her military grade analysis program on full alert as she spied plenty of tires being slashed to bits by vandals, drugs that were hidden poorly in knooks and crannies of cars, and the telltale signs of both murder and illicit sex. She fought to keep her aloof demeanor up as she also put up her Intention Force Field for added protection and as an early warning system. Alastor had warned her to put it up the moment she was dropped off at the Hellraiser and reassured her that there were plenty of reasons to dismiss her ability to keep demons at bay. Aria quickly reviewed the list again in her mind as a small demon tried and failed to stab her in the back as he hit her force field so hard, he bounced off and landed on his knife, making him scream out in agony! Aria quickly made herself scarce, knowing that the imp's screams would bring unwanted attention, and besides, his wound was non-threatening as she mentally removed the knife from his leg with her telekinesis powers after he couldn't see her, making the imp scream as he hightailed it out of there while he screamed about a demonic knife.
"Good evening, Hell! Who's ready to have the best night of their afterlives!?" A blonde, female dog demon with pierced, floppy ears and wearing an outfit made of black leather and metal that accentuated all the right places yelled into a mic as Aria heard the roar of an audience as she quickly made her way closer to the heart of the Hellraiser as the smell of food, drugs, sex, and unwashed bodies assaulted her nostrils as she skirted the edge of a massive crowd. "Welcome to the official opening ceremony of this year's Hellraiser! We've got the best musical artists to ever grace the Hellish depths of Pentagram City, including Fuck You Dad, You're Momma a Hoe, Drowning Puppies, and AC/DC, to name a few! We've got everything you could ever want for sale all in one place for one night only! You want a sex slave for one night? You got it! You want the best drugs and alcohol money can buy? We've got you covered! You want to hire the best mercs in town to take down a boss that killed your lover and tried to pin it on you? If you've got the money, we'll bring the murder! Don't forget that auditions to prove you're sexy enough to work for our lovely Overlord, Valentino, start in fifteen minutes, so you better put your name on that sign up list before sign ups close! Oh, and for those fuckers that dared to touch my car, along with any of the performing staff today now have skin-melting paint on their hands! Good luck stealing anything anymore, you thieving cunts! Now, who's ready to rock!?"
The crowd roared as the music turned up to eleven, the bass of the huge speakers reaching her even from where she stood as someone tried to shove her hard as a mosh pit started! Aria turned around to watch as the unlucky duck demon in a plain, black suit got blown back by her intention force field into a very large and very angry red bull demon in ripped jeans and covered in wing tattoos. Aria winced sympathetically inside as she let the angry bull fling the duck into the air, giving her the distraction she needed to get out of there as she headed further into the mess of tents that clogged the street that led to the huge Porn Studios building.
The building was a large, circular tower rising above the rest of the buildings made of red steel, pink and white windows, and sporting three x's that melded together near the top of the tower. At the very top of the building, the words "Porn Studios" blazed in blue neon with a massive open, red mouth with sparkling, white lights sitting in between the two words, the luscious, red lips parting into an open 'O' shape, leaving little to the imagination. The top of the towers had a canopy of white lights all leading to the tippy top of a long, red pole lit up with white lights, with a massive imp demon woman neon sign clad in a skimpy, black dress, red skin, blue eyes, and short, black hair holding onto the tower in a pole-dancer's pose. Her red tail sported even more lights, with a little white heart glowing on her nice, round hip, making Aria wonder if the imp woman depicted was just a generic woman or someone of significance as another sign above her red "Hot Girls" in bright, blue neon.
There was a lot of ground to cover before she would reach the tent near the base of the building where she'd need to sign up. She could barely see the massive red tent decorated in white lights from where she stood, given her height as she spotted Angel Dust in the distance as his bright pink fur and dress made it easy for her to spot him. She tried to keep an eye on him and the tent as she fought to weave through a thick crowd of passersby that were browsing the wares around her as each tent featured something to buy as she tried to pick up the pace.
"Hey there, pretty lady!" a slithering voice cooed at her as her elbow was grabbed by an old, green lizard demon with a glass eye, a ragged, red cloak, and black clothing that stank of chemicals as he smiled a toothy smile almost bereft of any teeth. "You need a shot of Hero-in? Need that dose of Krunchy Krokodile? Or maybe the sweet temptation of Angel Dust is what you're after! I've got all your drug needs, pretty lady! Just got a fresh batch right here in my little tent of chemical genius!"
"The high I'm looking for is where Porn Studios is at," Aria stated as coolly as she could, trying to remember how Gloria did it as she waved a dismissive hand at the lizard demon as she used her telekinesis powers to help pry his scaley hand off her, making him frown, while she smiled at him before she walked off. "Thanks for the offer, though, you scaley devil, you!"
"Oh! A candidate for Valentino, eh?" a very dapper salesman commented jovially as he popped out of nowhere as Aria noticed he wore a red and white striped suit, he had blonde colored human hands, blonde horse hooves for feet, and a blonde horse head with green eyes and red hair with a white streak through it as he caught her by the waist by using a large, hooked, wooden cane to drag her near his red and white tent! "Well, I have all you need to look your very best! This is Dr. Flim's Flammiest Tent of Jewelry, Baubles, and Magical Accessories! These are not just ordinary pieces of jewelry! Oh no! Why, I have gems that will make you glow even brighter with beauty, necklaces that will increase your charisma, and even some rings that can shave off that obnoxiously stubborn belly fat! Buy one, get one free! Interested?"
"As flattering as you are, Doctor, your charming wares are a mere distraction from my errand," Aria whispered in his ear before grabbing a straw hat with a red and white striped band from his stand and gently placed it on his head with an empty smirk she didn't feel before looking over his wares quickly to find that not one bauble was marked as magical on her scanners as she made herself scarce. "Be grateful you get to see me now, because it'll cost you more next time, I'm sure!"
Aria fought the urge to gag on her last sentence as her syrupy smile left her feeling slimy as Dr. Flim flipped up his hat and whistled at her low as she left, leaving her feeling a heady mix of power and sexual appeal that terrified her! The realization of the power she had at her fingertips as she flirted her way out of buying wares from several more demons was both exhilarating and downright scandalous! Aria was beginning to realize that, being she wasn't in a sexually charged environment that had given her these skills, she could easily get her way and influence others as easily as she had been influenced while under The Stage with almost little to no consequence to herself. The very idea of the implications of this left her feeling incredibly tempted to abuse her newfound power, which only terrified her even more!
"Sweet cheeks! This is Spider Web!" Arackniss's voice suddenly piped up in her ear out of nowhere, making her jump badly as she played it like she lost her balance, making a lot of people snicker and whistle at her as they saw her bend over like she was checking her ankle as she fought against the frown and embarrassed flush that had momentarily crossed her bird-like features. "We've got a lock on your location, but you have got to fucking pick up the pace! I need ya to get off the main road and weave behind the tents until you reach Porn Studios as quickly as possible because Valentino and his entourage are headed your way! If he gets to the booth where the sign-ups are before you do, our mission will be dead on arrival! The fucker likes to take the sign ups as soon as he arrives, so fucking move it!"
Aria dusted herself off primly, hiding her panic well as she walked slowly behind a tent selling incredibly lewd artwork, much to Arackniss's chagrin as he cursed at her through her earbud, before she bolted down the back end of the tents like her life depended on it! She heard shouts and insults start to fly behind her as she looked back between two tents and witnessed people being forced off the street by a small group of armed goons. Aria recognized Valentino instantly from her files as the incredibly tall man stood out poignantly against the plain, black suits of the six cat and dog guards he had, plus the two girls that giggled and cooed at him as they clung to either side of him.
The first thing that popped into Aria's mind when she saw Valentino was that he looked like a cross between the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and a wannabe classy sugar daddy from an era that her military grade scanner marked as being from the 1970's. With a massive red top hat with a large black and white striped band around the base, a massive black and white feather flowering over his right shoulder, the heart shaped shades with red lenses and gold frames really called back to the time of disco. His long, red coat that reached to his ankles sported the largest, white fur lining around his neck that she'd ever seen on a coat, the red hearts scattered on it made her wonder why he was so obsessed with such a feminine symbol as the heart. The white fur was on the end of his long sleeves and the bottom edge of his coat that worked its way up the middle of the coat, although this white fur had black, tiger stripes, making Aria cringe at the garish detail. At least he wore black gloves and black shoes instead of gold ones as she admired the gold, heart shaped buttons at the top of his coat. Towering over everyone in the crowd like a giant, only Angel Dust was even close to the same height as this monster. Second, she couldn't even guess what kind of demon he was. Why was the other feather on the left side of his hat so sorry, she thought to herself as the short, naked, black, barbed tine just sat there in his hat, making Aria wonder if maybe what kind of demon he was had something to do with it.
At least she could admire the skimpy outfits of both the brown, cat demon girl and the red imp girl that clung to him, making her kind of wish she had chosen a different outfit before blushing at her thoughts as she shook her head and tried to focus as she rushed to get to the tent before Valentino did!
"Where the fuck is little Miss Princess!?" Angel Dust hissed in her ear as Aria accidentally upended a bunch of boxes full of dildos, which she hoped weren't used, interrupted a gang bang as she forced everyone apart with her telekinesis abilities, hoping the victim would get a chance to flee, and narrowly escaped getting stabbed to death as she took a shortcut through a booth, which unfortunately had a throwing knife contest in it!
"I've got eyes on her, Pink! Just shut the fuck up and do what you normally do!" Arackniss hissed through the earpiece in her ear as Aria barely managed to dodge a bunch of knives as people intentionally tried to hit her as three succeeded in cutting off a bunch of feathers on her head, one pinned a piece of her long skirt to the target behind her, while one gave her a small cut on her left leg before she adjusted her outfit to be way shorter to free herself, which gained her a bunch of catcalls and whistles before she sprinted through the door on the other side and slammed it shut!
"I can hear Valentino's goons from here!" Angel Dust hissed out tensely as Aria regrew her feathers and put her dress back in order as she sprinted towards a children's bouncy house that looked like a tomb and used it as a springboard as she applied her telekinesis to give her more air as she used her wings to glide the last few feet to land right in front of the booth where the sign-ups were, much to the displeasure of the line behind her.
"Hey! Get the fuck out of my way and go to the back of the line, bitch!" a blue demon girl that resembled a scorpion hissed out threateningly as her massive, pincer-like hands grabbed at her to chuck her to the back of the line, but Aria's intention force field was still in effect, making the girl smack hard into it, stunning her as Aria grabbed a pen in front of her and signed up quickly for the auditions.
"Sorry, but I'm in a bit of a rush!" Aria insisted with a smile she didn't feel as she heard the curses and shouting of Valentino's goons come right up to the line as Aria smiled sheepishly at the scorpion girl as Aria made herself scarce. "Better luck next time!"
"What do you-" the scorpion girl started to ask as she tried to grab Aria before she got away, but Aria chose to use her special ability to walk unseen right then, leaving the poor, purple demoness looking around, but Aria was no longer able to be seen.
"Sweet cheeks made it to the booth, Pink, so relax! She succeeded in signing up before Valentino arrived, but I have to admit that it was a damn close shave!" Arackniss hissed in her earbud, while Aria could barely hear a radio play a suspenseful, thrilling tune behind her that made her break out into goosebumps as she realized who was close by. "Where the hell did she go, though? Smiles! Do you have a visual?"
"I'm sure this nice piece will show up quite nicely, don't you think?" a familiar voice commented in her earbud, but the actual voice was in her other ear and it sounded like it was just behind her as Aria turned around and saw Alastor perusing a booth that had an assortment of top hats, bow ties, and other similar accessories.
"You know, I can't seem to decide which bow tie would look better on me for this evening. I mean, the red one truly screams of bloodshed and hellfire, which I absolutely love, but then the black one is such a classic that I'm tempted to just give into convention!" Alastor declared with a smile as he hemmed and hawed between both bow ties, giving Aria time to ease into the back of the tent where only he would notice as she appeared and looked slightly down on him as she whispered to him softly.
"Anything I should know?" Aria asked as she tapped a feathered finger lightly on the red bow tie Alastor was holding as she smiled at him conversationally so that passersby would think she was just flirting with him. "The red one suits you best, by the way."
"I couldn't agree more, my dear!" Alastor said with a smile before he turned to the stuffy elephant demon dressed in a loud green and yellow pinstripe suit and top hat who was manning the stall as he rung up Alastor's purchase, giving Alastor time to slip a piece of paper in Aria's feathered hand before he passed her by without a second glance as he easily disappeared into the crowd.
"Finally, I've got a visual," Arackniss announced irritably as he growled into her earbud. "I don't know what you just pulled, but don't fucking do it again! I need to know where you are at all times!"
Aria barely nodded to herself thoughtfully before she looked down at the note before burning it in a small blaze of white fire.
It read, "Very few guards except around Valentino and some forbidden parts of Porn Studios. There are signs of sabotage at three of the six locations that were setup to catch Valentino in the act. Two remaining rendezvous points that look undamaged are in Valentino's personal office and in a broom closet in the basement, but the third in the back of his personal booth in the performance area looks like it's been moved from its original position, so be cautious if you're going to use it. With that in mind, the rendezvous points remaining may prove to be traps, but as far as we know, they're still your best bet to record the info we need. Use your gifts to get the job done and get the girl out of there as soon as possible. If things go south regardless if evidence has been gained or not, then skedaddle! Do not, under any circumstances, go anywhere without Angel Dust or Damian! Both of them are waiting for you inside where the auditions are being held, and don't forget to smile!"
Aria smiled at that, knowing who had written the note as she nervously frowned as she took a deep breath and focused. She needed to lose herself and become the only person she could mimic well enough to get through this literal Hell hole she was about to walk into. Hoping to do her proud, Aria thought of Gloria and her mannerisms as she stood taller and strode out of the shop as though she owned the place.
Onlookers stared, howled, whistled, or cursed at her as she unapologetically made her way boldly into the entryway of Porn Studios as the blue scorpion demon who tried to stop her earlier brought a few more friends from the now abandoned line to assault her at the door! Staring straight ahead, Aria fought against the temptation to look at them as she didn't even give them a second glance as she held her head high as she let her intention forcefield do the rest. Adding a little white fire to her display of force and her telekinesis abilities, it looked like she'd blasted them all off their feet without even looking at them as they landed on several booths behind her, creating quite a stir! She knew she had to make a strong show of force in hopes of dissuading anyone else from trying to distract her further from her mission. As she looked around the corner of her eye as most of the demons that attacked her slunk away with slightly charred clothing and burnt egos, the blue scorpion demoness screamed out that she was going to find a way to get back her, making Aria mentally log that away as she entered the building.
As Aria followed the obvious red signs with black arrows on them that led to a lavish, though shadowy, auditorium with red chairs with stitched, black demon eyes on their backs and clawed, black tables, Aria stared with a surge of dread at the huge, black stage as the red stripper poles lit up before her with a burst of fire digitally displayed behind the poles. The sight gave her pause as she physically had to force herself not to turn tail and run at the mere sight of it. She felt like she was right back under The Stage as she steeled herself and concentrated on not caring about anyone or anything but her goal.
It worked pretty well...for the first thirty seconds until Damian suddenly appeared next to her grinning his sparkling grin before taking a seat next to her as he grabbed her feathered hand in his. Her cool demeanor was now being threatened by Damian's incredibly bold approach as Aria realized she'd have to not only pretend to be an utterly different person in front of him without giving herself away, but she'd have to do it without showing any ounce of guilt. The ability to not care about anything other than her goal suddenly felt impossible as she swallowed and prayed to God that He and Damian could forgive her for what she was about to do. Thankfully, a warm feeling passed over her from the Holy Ghost, reassuring her that God didn't hold anything against her for what she was doing, but that only made her more nervous as she realized how much trust God was putting into her and this crazy mission. It also didn't help her feel any better, since Damian could end up hating her for what she was about to do, but she had to do what she came here to do as she took a deep breath and dove right in. She just hoped against hope that she could do this and still heal a few bruised egos later!
"My, what beauty is this that charms my gaze so that I cannot look away?" Damian said poetically as he ran a hand through his cerulean hair before kissing the back of her hand, which Aria chose not to resist, knowing Gloria would've used his charms to her advantage as Aria pretended to giggle at his words. "My name is Damian Undertow, the legendary lover that can pull both handsome gentlemen and lovely ladies into the crushing depths of passion! And you are?"
"I'm Gloria Fogo, but you can call me Gloria, handsome," Aria cooed softly with a pretended, mysterious smile, savoring Damian's look of surprise before he laughed and flexed a little as he sat back and let his kimono open up even more to reveal his perfect pecs and abs, much to the annoyance of Aria, though she fought to not show it. "You speak well, for a fish, but can you guarantee that your rugged features match an equally rugged set of tools for the job? I don't just give my services to anyone, you know. That's why I'm auditioning. Valentino knows what he's doing and I aim to go straight to the top!"
"I have both reach and flexibility, along with a fiery blade that can melt any gender, but you don't have to take my word for it!" Damian said boldly with sparkling confidence as Aria suddenly felt his other hand grab her knee and begin to slide it up her feathery calf, making her suddenly blush in utter outrage, but she fought to not fly off the handle as she racked her brain for something Gloria would've done.
Grabbing onto a memory of watching Gloria seated at a table as a man got too comfortable with her before any money had switched hands, Aria inwardly grimaced as she smiled unkindly at Damian. Using her telepathy, Damian suddenly squeaked out a gasp of pain as Aria squeezed his hard member hard enough to make him wish he'd been less bold as Aria leaned back in her chair as she gently moved the leg Damian was still holding onto a little to caress one of Damian's legs before digging into it with her clawed foot, making Damian cry out in pain as he let go of her to tend to his now bleeding shin!
"Know your place, then, and make sure to pay me first before you get cute with me," Aria said coldly, the feeling of satisfaction at stopping Damian with violence surprising her, making her inwardly feel incredibly uneasy at the feeling as Damian leered at her before nodding curtly in her direction with a measure of both respect and a grimace of unwanted humiliation.
"Alright! Let's get this over with!" Angel Dust announced with a look of boredom as he stood on the stage before them as a spotlight blazed upon him, accentuating his good looks and short, pink dress as he lifted a clip board up to his face. "I'm going to say your name, ya come up and do your song and dance shit, and I'll judge whether you're sexy enough to audition in front of Valentino. I'm going to tell ya right now that half of ya should just walk out right now because there are a lot of ugly bitches and assholes in here not even worth my time! I'm looking at you, you blue, scaley freak next to the thin, lanky bird bitch!"
"You know, it's a conflict of interest to have you judge me, Angel Dust, given our history as past lovers," Damian said with a confident grin, making the crowd of auditioners suddenly make a sound of interest as they looked between him and Angel Dust as another spotlight lit up Damian, making him stand and pose as he put a hand through his hair and sparkled, making Aria fight to not roll her eyes at him. "Surely, there's going to be someone who isn't biased who will join you to judge whether we're fit to work for Valentino, right? That's how it's always been, or don't you remember the last time someone tried to become the sole judge of the pre-auditions and royally screwed themselves over?"
"Hey! That was a one time thing, you fucking bastard, and it was you who set the whole fucking thing up, or don't you remember how I fucking killed you for it!" Angel Dust commented heatedly, the venom in his tone palpable and deadly as Damian laughed, making Angel Dust blush angrily for the first time in front of Aria.
"Aw, that face...you always look so cute when you get angry. As for my miraculous resurrection, you really need to try harder if you want me dead because I'm still here, and I'm going to get into Valentino's good graces wither you like it or not," Damian said with a wink and a laugh, clearly enjoying himself as he watched the rise he got out of Angel Dust as the sexy spider suddenly pulled out two Tommy guns and two pistols!
"The fuck ya are!" Angel Dust spat out venomously as he was about to fill Damian full of lead when a black cat demon in a pristine, black turtleneck sweater with perfectly ironed, black slacks, and shining, black shoes stepped silently from behind the red curtain from stage right and snapped his fingers, making Angel Dust suddenly freeze on the spot as Aria caught a flash of panic on Angel's face before he put on a measured grimace of annoyance.
"That's quite enough of the theatrics, Angel Dust," the cat demon said primly in a heavy, British accent as his bespectacled, green eyes took one look up at Angel Dust before looking down at his clipboard as though that were the end of it. "As Valentino's number one assistant, he suggested that I should be your partner during the pre-auditions to make sure personal faux pas like this don't get in the way of keeping up with our incredibly tight schedule. Now, put the guns away and vacate the stage at once so that the auditions can proceed as scheduled. You can flirt with your boyfriend later."
"He is not my boyfriend!" Angel snapped, enraged at the insinuation, but he was given one look by the cat demon who barely reached up to his bowtie before the sexy spider stormed offstage and pushed through the crowd of demons sitting at various tables before he took a seat more centered in the room reserved for the judges, which oddly had a full tea set and crumpets on it as the smell of hot tea wafted through the auditorium.
"Now that we have that out of the way, we can finally begin the pre-auditions that will qualify you to audition for Valentino," the cat demon said briskly as he picked off a piece of lint off his sweater before adjusting his spectacles with a precise, measured hand. "I am Edwin Kingsley, the new and much better personal assistant to Valentino, so be sure to make note of that fact as I judge your skills, your sense of fashion, and decorum. To those of you who don't know, Valentino's former assistant was recently cleansed, and so be aware that, although recently hired, I am more than capable of taking care of any unruly pricks eager to draw blood because I deem them unworthy to move on to the real auditions. You can already see what you'll get from Angel Dust, so I strongly suggest you behave yourselves and accept our judgment of your abilities without becoming brassed off!"
Angel sneered, but said nothing as he pointed quite a few hands at people as he pantomimed shooting a bunch of them before shooting all four hands at Damian, making the fish demon only smile and wink dazzlingly at him, while Edwin left the stage and joined Angel Dust calmly at the judge's table. As the cat demon helped himself to the teapot as he poured hot tea into a tea cup before taking a sip, he called out a name and just like that, the pre-auditions had started. There were a few whispers and leers given to Mr. Kingsley and Angel Dust as several auditioners weren't even allowed to finish their numbers as they were immediately eliminated, but after one particularly aggressive green lizard demon in a tank top and blue jeans was rejected and unceremoniously killed by Mr. Kingsley with a snap of his fingers and a bullet to the head, people quieted down and the auditions continued.
Aria, however, was having a very hard time remembering to breathe as Mr. Kingsley's voice stabbed into her ears like needles. She'd caught the familiar voice almost immediately as she stared at the black cat demon, but not really seeing him as she stared too hard at his choice of immaculate clothing and the way he daintily held his teacup. His mannerisms, tone, and methodical way of going from point to point had been cut into her with a scalpel during her last moments on Earth.
"Miss Gloria Fogo, will you come up to the stage, please?" Mr. Kingsley insisted calmly as Aria sat there, frozen in place until her mind slowly nudged at her that British the murderous cat demon now manifested before her was calling her alias up to the stage.
Like a puppet on a string, Aria ridgedly stood as she tried to regain the confidence she needed to pass off as a seasoned dancer, but her mind was in a pool of her own blood as her ribs were snapped off, again, as she fought to stay in the present. Her mind kept having nasty flashbacks as she stepped into the spotlight, the pole behind her feeling sickeningly damp with sweat from the previous dancers as she leaned on it to keep herself from passing out. There was a small part of her that kept on screaming at her to snap out of it, but her body just stood there as his sharp, green eyes pierced through her just as easily as his scalpel had.
Aria realized too late that Alastor had been absolutely right about trying to walk away from Arackniss yesterday as she wished with all her being that she had just let her secret as a shapeshifter go public instead of having to face this living nightmare!