The lights were not even on yet. The crowd was screaming with anticipation. She could even see their faint outline just below from where she stood.

Something about this didn't seem right. She couldn't tell for sure why.

Mau5 was just behind her, stationed at his sync box. They both knew the crowd had seen them slink onto the stage. They were hungry for entertainment. But Mau5 wanted to play with them a bit. He kept them waiting.

Raven stood, her knees slightly buckled as she waited. She was so thankful for the mask she wore, so that no one would see her face.

'Since I was really impressed by how you danced to Move For Me, that will be the opening song. I know you don't have an official choreograph for that one, but I know you can dance to it. I've seen you.'

Raven was nervous. So what… just try and remember how she danced to it during the last concert? She didn't think she could do it. She felt her heart pulse throbbing in her neck. Her nerves were burning under her skin.

Inhale. Deep breaths.

Suddenly, she heard the deep bass begin to fade in. The crowd's screaming got louder, and the people in the front of the stage began to jump around violently. Raven closed her eyes and tipped her head down, trying not to focus on the people, but the music.

Her hands began to twitch. She felt a buzz in the back of her skull. She grinned softly under her mask. Mau5's chemical was kicking in. The beats of the song were beginning to throb in the two large speakers next to her. In response, her body began to move ever so slightly in rhythm.

She heard Mau5's voice flood in with the music on his mic. "Hi friends."

The crowd immediately screamed in response, just like the crowd back in Essex. This crowd was much louder, however; much bigger.

Another voice came on from a set of speakers above them.

"Merci, mesdames et messieurs. Puissions-nous présenter ce DJ qui est venu à travers les mers du Canada vient tout juste d'être ici ce soir. Deadmau5!"

The crowd screamed even more. The people just at the front of the stage were jumping up and down, almost trying to grab Raven's feet in the process. Raven did her best to ignore them, and the loud voice over the speakers. She could still hear the music as it began to grow louder. She kept her focus tight on it alone.

And then that soft voice flooded in...

"Here we go… Another night out."

Blue lights, perfectly on cue.

"Waited all week… just to get out."

Raven had taken her body and began to flex it back and forth on the stage. She had become nothing but a mere puppet, and the music was the master pulling the strings.

Twisting. Thrusting. Moving.

"Where do we come from?"

As her eyes gazed over the crowd, she saw the people in the very front, hypnotized. They seemed to be moving ever so slightly in the same directions as she did. There was a look of enjoyment and concentration on the faces that were lit up by the soft blue spotlights.

"Do I know your name?"

Suddenly, they looked about this dancer before them. They didn't know who she was. They didn't know what she looked like. They wanted to know.

"Does it really matter?"

Just as the blue light faded over the front of the crowd and focus in on Raven from all different directions, there came a look of relief to the crowd. Were they really affected this greatly by the music?

"In this light…. We're all the same!"

Raven moved.

The crowd moved.

Mau5's music continued to influence the minds of these people.

"Move for meeeeee~ I move for youuuuu~"

The panic was still there. It came in waves. She had to keep telling herself one thing; I'm not myself. Tonight, I am not myself. Tonight… I was a performer. I am the one entertaining.

"Move for meeeee~ I move for youuuu~"

The music's build had her spinning on her hands, and her feet and legs flew around in circles. Her center core was flexing violently. It was a good feeling. The music felt like it was in her flesh; in her arms, her legs, her back and in her face. It was very tightly packed around her face; in her eyes, jaw, nose, and throat. It was pulsing in her. Very much alive. This was the feeling that both Mau5 and Daft Punk were so desperate to spread among humanity. She knew the crowd did not feel it as dramatically as she did. Mau5's chemical really amped out the feelings. But Raven knew, as she glanced at the faces among her, they were still feeling it. They could not stop smiling, or moving. The music was itching in their skin too.

Just then, the music cut off and she could hear the crowd's screams ringing in her ears once again. She froze awkwardly from the sudden cut off, held the pose to try and make up for it, and then slowly relaxed her stance.

"Thank you Orléans for having us here tonight." Mau5's voice echoed in the overhead speakers. The crowd responded. Raven looked over her shoulder at him. Us?

Dead Mau5 lifted his hands in the air, beaming fiendishly. There came someone from the audience that shouted "Votre visage! Your face! Pourquoi votre visage comme ça?"

Mau5 only grinned and placed a finger down on his sync board. Slowly he lifted a deep bass.

"Here… Enjoy some chords of mine."

Raven grinned. Some Chords, indeed. This dance was going to be an interesting one.

…

Some Chords was a success. So was Strobe. She felt like she was tiring out by the time they got to Ghosts n Stuff, as well as Cat on a Leash. Mau5 had seen it. He called for a fifteen-minute break, which most performers never did. As the two of them left the stage, they got a few disappoint cries and disappoint scowls.

In the back stage, Raven immediately collapsed in a chair, and ripped the wig and mask off of her, gasping for air.

"Not doing okay…" Mau5 mumbled, more as a statement than a question.

Raven nodded, still trying to cool down. "I normally… don't… dance this long without… taking a break."

Mau5's ears drooped slightly, and he placed his fingertips together. "I could use some water… please…" Raven panted.

"Oh~ Oh of course." Mau5 gave an ashamed frown, and scurried off to fetch a bottle of water.

Raven leaned forward on her knees, hunched over. She tried to breath slower and deeper. Bloody… Fucking… Hell… She forgot to consider that her endurance wasn't efficient enough to do things like this. She combed her fingers through her sweaty hair, as her body temperature slowly began to descend.

Mau5 squatted in front of her, and handed her an icy cold water bottle. She snatched it greedily from him, twisted the cap off and slammed the tip to her lips. She drank it deeply.

Mau5 watched her, his eyes large and round. Once she finished and gasped for more air, he perked his ears forward. "How are you feeling now?"

Raven just glanced up at him. It was a mix between a smirk and a scowl. She knew it only confused him more. This amused her.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked.

She shook her head, still taking in deep breaths. "I think I'll be alright."

Mau5 stared for a little bit. He hesitated before he asked, "Are you going to be able to finish the show? You don't have to dance through the whole thing."

Raven sat there, thinking and trying to read herself. "….I think so. I mean… I want to finish. Don't wanna look like a pussy."

Mau5 gave a small chuckle. "Oh~ Oh good. But you sure you can keep it up? The show still has another hour left…"

"Bloody hell, that's a long show, Mau5." Raven almost coughed as she shouted at him.

Dead Mau5 only grinned back. "Sorry, but I like to perform. I asked for two or three hours at least for my shows on this tour. This one is two hours."

"That's awfully long compared to your show in Essex. I mean, fuck… how long are the other shows?"

"They vary, Raven~ Some places agreed to allow me to play three hours… but most of them usually ask that I play two or just one hour."

Raven gasped and swung her head down as she slumped over. Well, hopefully this will make her endurance increase quickly.

"How many of the performances in France are three hours?"

"This is the only one." he smiled. "Don't worry…"

"Good.." Raven sighed, almost in a whisper.

She suddenly shivered as she felt the rodent DJ's tail brush the side of her arm. She looked down at it and then up into his face.

"I don't mean to rush you, but if you are ready, we need to get back out on the stage… crowd is growing impatient."

Raven nodded slightly. She grabbed her white mask and slipped it back over her head, the sweat making her hair stick to the sides of her face.

"C'mon, lil Raven~ Let's finish this performance."