White Cherry; Curtain Call~!

Performance One: Duality/ Pilot

The energetic piano melody rang out through the main lounge, accompanied by the sound of the vedette's smooth singing as she performed on stage. The crowd murmured in awe while listening and chattering at their respected tables, completely enamoured by the show.

"Now some may call me wicked
Others, they call me twisted
But one thing still remains, I'm just looking for some fun!
So what, I had her husband? Hers wasn't the only one
I'm a simple girl to please, I don't care much to tease!"

The demoness serenaded. As she continued her song, she walked offstage and paced around the dining area, further immersing the audience in her act. She walked up to a table where her husband was seated, and teasingly traced his shoulder. The man blushed and gave her a half-hearted glare as the performer made her way back onstage, a cheeky, fanged smirk spreading onto her round face. The music began to pick up, becoming livelier and more playful, and the demoness's dance became more energetic as she belted out the final part of her song.

"I simply love being that crazy girl!
And that's one thing that'll never change!
The way they point and stare
I love to see their hateful glares
Then going home to their men
Awaiting in my snares
Oh, I simply love being this crazy girl!
Each night I look for someone new
To bite and claw and chew
And even when my curtain's called
When my audience is tired out and gone
The fact will still remain, I will always be insane
And if I could change even one small thing about me
I would change nothing at all~!"

With that final line, her song came to its conclusion and she did a performer's bow, placing a hand on her crimson hat. When she stood up, she smiled at the crowd, scanning them all as they applauded with her glowing lavender eyes. "Another successful performance. As expected~" She thought to herself before heading backstage to her dressing room, the final cheers and claps from the crowd blending with the sound of her boots hitting the polished wood floor with each step she took. She stopped in front of a door with a star emblem that had the carved name "Maru Kirishiki" on it, then stepped inside with a content hum. Her dressing room was an array of pinks, reds, and yellows, and had warm, calming lighting. Against the wall, tucked a few feet away from the door, was an elegantly carved wooden vanity, which had a safe built into the bottom right drawer. She had a bed directly across it, with the head of the bed directly facing the vanity mirror, and was adorned with various shapes of pillows and deep red velvet sheets. Immediately, the performer sat at her vanity, placed her hat down, and unlocked the safe, where a bottle labeled "AB+ M. 46" and two wine glasses were hidden. Maru chuckled and licked her lips as she pulled out the bottle and a glass, a soft "clink" sound ringing through the room when she set them down. She poured the thick red liquid into her glass and took a sip, leaning back against her chair with a deep, relaxed sigh.

"Ahh~ Renjuro, you know exactly how to spoil me, don't you~?" She asked herself before glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Maru was a short, slender woman who looked no older than twenty. Her bouncy, light brown hair was on full display, no longer hidden by her hat, which was crimson with a checkered ribbon, and her pointed ears poked out from behind her fluffy locks. Her bright lavender eyes and the pale white tips of her black, S-shaped horns were gleaming in the lamplight of her room. She was wearing a tailored crimson suit jacket, accompanied by light gray dress pants, a black button-up shirt, and a pair of black combat boots with the laces carefully tied in neat double-knots. As she enjoyed her after-show drink, there was a knock at the door, followed by an all too familiar voice. "Maru, my dear, can I come in?" Atsushi asked from the other side. Maru shook her head and chuckled, giving her husband an unseen eye-roll. "Mi soñador, you know you don't have to ask, just come in~" She replied, setting her drink down in front of her.

With that, the door opened, revealing a smiling Atsushi. He had short, uneven black hair with pink bangs, purple eyes, and two strange yellow teardrops on his cheeks, both with a bright green outline. He also wore a brown undershirt with a pale green suit jacket over it, light gray pants, and a pair of black boots with a silvery-blue trim. "Well yes, but we are at your workplace, love, and I'd hate to intrude on something important~" He said before his eyes trailed over to the bottle and glass in front of his wife, raising a dark colored eyebrow at her. "Drinking so soon?" He asked, closing the door and crossing his arms. She chuckles and leans back in her chair, resting an arm over the back of it. Despite her very unladylike position, attire, and personality, he couldn't help but find himself to be more enamored of this woman...even though she was drinking some very strong alcoholic blood immediately after her show, and still had to take the train home later. "Yes, well, I don't plan on downing the whole bottle in one night, just this one little glass." She reassured him as she picked up the glass of blood and took another sip.

Atsushi sighed and placed a loving hand on her shoulder. "As long as you promise me that it'll only be this one glass, pequeña luna. After all, you still have your other job you need to do..." Maru's demeanor suddenly turned serious, and she placed the bottle back in the safe before turning back to Atsushi. "You're right...We still have one more thing we have to do before we can relax..." She sighed and smiled softly at her husband, tilting her head to the side. "With that in mind, would you like to finish off this glass~? After all, half a glass of alcoholic blood, even of this potency, won't be enough to get you drunk, so you won't have to worry that sweet little head of yours." Atsushi blinked in surprise a few times, clearly not expecting this answer from the demoness. However, after a few moments, he collected himself and chuckled, planting a small kiss on top of her head. He had to be mindful of the horns, as the tips were quite sharp and could easily take an eye if he wasn't careful. "You'd really share your AB+ with me, Maru?" He asked, his face now nuzzled into Maru's hair.

"Mhmm~ I'd be happy to share a drink with mi soñador before we head to the market~" She replied in a smooth, affectionate tone. With that, the two sat down in the elegant dressing room, sharing a glass of alcoholic blood. Once the glass was empty, they shared a kiss, walked out of the dressing room, and re-entered the main lounge. It was empty now, with only the other cast members remaining as they did their final cleanup for the night. Maru looked over at the corner, where another man sat, reading something on a clipboard. "Alright, Hiryuu, where's tonight's shipment coming from?" Maru asked as she approached the man. Hiryuu was a lanky, almost sheet white man, with spiky midnight blue hair that faded to black, a black crown, ram horns, and wore plum-colored eyeshadow that made his ruby colored irises and pale red pupils stand out more than they already did. His outfit consisted of a top that only covered his chest, colored black with a plum colored crescent on the bottom and a light gray collar, ribbon-like plum sleeves that covered the bottom of his shoulders and nothing else, rolled up gray pants with a gold belt, ripped capris leggings that matched the sleeves on his top, a star earring on his right ear, and black shoes with deep blue-gray accents. He looked up and smiled before proudly responding, "Tonight is the sex offenders, boss~! The Suppliers are already heading towards the East Post!" Maru licked her lips and nodded, looking towards the other members of the Troupe. They all nodded in response, readjusted their clothes, and silently followed her out through the back door.

The Troupe walks silently through the moonlit streets, accompanied by several members of the main cast. They were good about making sure to stay in the shadows and alleyways, as they didn't need to be seen by any wandering humans. Soon, they approached a prison compound, and the guards slowly stepped aside for them to pass. Maru smiled and tipped her hat as she led them inside, and as soon as the doors closed, she looked straight ahead and chuckled. "Alright, ladies and gents~....Let's make this a good harvest!" With that, she and the Suppliers all rushed to the cells, fangs bared, and began to pick off the scrambling inmates, killing them with a single, clean bite to the jugular. The prisoners, who had no idea what was happening, began to scream or attempt to fight back, but they were no match for the Suppliers. Maru walked calmly around the perimeter, as if she were simply collecting groceries from the shelves, not watching sex offenders being killed in their cells. Once the nightly quota was met, an eerie silence echoed throughout the compound, the Suppliers took their fresh meat and walked out, chattering among themselves. Maru stayed behind for a few moments, making sure she was the last one out. Just before she made her departure, she slowly turned on her heels with her typical fanged smirk and tipped her hat to the warden. "A pleasure as always~ We'll see you tomorrow night~"

The Suppliers took their harvest to a remote village, which was full of demons setting up various food stalls, and walked over to a larger building that resembled a butcher shop. The Butchers are already prepared for the Suppliers' haul, their stations freshly cleaned and tools at the ready. Each one is given an inmate, and quickly gets to work; they drain the blood from the bodies, putting the blood they collect into glass soda bottles. They make sure to separate the females' blood from the males', since mixing the two could have certain health risks. They then start separating the different limbs, marrow, and organs for different dishes, tossing all the unusable parts into barrels. For those who have women on their tables, they cut out their uteri. scoop out all the eggs, and put them in little jars. Finally, they take the cracked open bones and package them for the flour mills down the road. Once the bodies are all prepped and packaged, another group of demons comes in and takes the boxes of fresh meat, delivering them to the Vendors in the market's main street. Maru watches the Deliverers do their jobs with a proud smile, her arms folded behind her slender form, then watches as they leave after dropping off the night's shipment...It really was an interesting process here at the Hidden Market!