Dance
Pearls dance.
It's what they do. It's one of their skills, one of the few things they can truly they can call theirs.
It's one of their duties, since time immemorial. And even if the music has been waning in recent centuries— said to be frivolous, wasteful, unnecessary— still the pearls are called upon to dance, for the entertainment and honour of the Diamonds and their most favoured consorts.
Of all the pearl troupes in the Empire, none are more admired than the Starlight Dancers. Only the best, most perfect pearls are admitted to their ranks. There they train, ceaselessly, to perform the most graceful, the most elegant, the most beautiful pieces across all the galaxies.
This is why their newest choreography is considered so… odd.
Still wonderful, of course. Still perfectly performed, fluid and stylish. But the rhythm is different. Faster, heavier. The steps not as light and elegant as usual. There's a weight to them. The pearls weave in and around each other, but they do not simply twirl and spin. The dancers seem to rotate in wary circles, their backs straight, their arms braced, eyes alert. Not once do they take their eyes off each other. Then, on some musical signal, they lunge. They flip over each other, as if dodging. Their arms strike out, their legs swipe into kicks. Each time, it looks almost as though they'll hit, make impact, but they never do; always, each pearl moves out of the way just in time, only to strike back with the move of their own. Kicks, punches, lunges, blocks, all to music.
Finally, the performance ends. After a pause, appreciative applause roar from the audience.
Afterwards, one of the pearls— not the troupe's leader, because she is a pearl, and pearls do not have leaders, but certainly this is the most senior of the Starlight Dances— is asked about it, endlessly, by curious courtesans and diplomats.
"Very different," they say. Or, "Never seen anything quite like it." And, "It seemed rather… violent."
The senior pearl keeps her head bowed. "That was our intention, yes," she says. "The piece is a tribute to the soldiers who fight for our Diamonds and our Empire."
"Ah," the onlookers say. "Very commendable."
Yes. Simply a dance.
And who, after all, can complain of pearls dancing?
And so, they continue their combat training, undisrupted.
oOoOoOo
Author's Note: This chapter was inspired by the dance style capoeira. Although, 'dance' might not be strictly the correct term. It was developed by Brazilian slaves during the 17th century. The slaves hoped to rebel, but of course, the slaveowners were far better equipped, and would come down harshly on anything interpreted as combat training. So capoeria was created under the guise of being a game. Participants aren't dancers or fighters- they're players. It melds combat moves, acrobatics and dance all into one.