Dancing on Strings

Tasting Gold

Mai didn't see The Black Rabbit the following two days. Kazimir made some very inappropriate comment about him hopefully having dropped off the side of the earth and good riddance – only less politely – before excusing himself from court.

Mai and Dalton had tried to persuade him to stay for the show.

Both wanted him to see the merman from the first show, to tell them if it really was a real merman, but he said it probably wasn't and that he wasn't interested in sitting through hours of play-magic to watch a man in a costume.

So he left for a few days, returning to his quiet, personal lodging at the sea, the city behind him.

The buzz about the second show filled the halls as everyone wondered after the content. Would it be the same show with the same routines or something completely new or somewhere in between?

The show, like before, was scheduled to start at midnight but there was no ball to precede it which meant everyone had an evening to spend as they liked, most of which was spent getting ready or sleeping.

"Alright, has no one seen Liana?" Genevieve shouted, throwing open the doors to the tower, her voice echoing upwards and into the various open doors.

"Who?" Mai asked, her eyes flicking up to look over her book that she was reading in her rose bath.

"Liana?" Henrietta said from outside the bathroom, looking to Joliette for confirmation.

"I assume she means Lady Liana Baxter," Joliette said as she set out Mai's clothing.

"Mai!" Geneviève called.

"I haven't seen her, Gene," Mai called back.

"Oh, none of you have, this is ridiculous. That damned girl has slipped her ladies again and no one's seen her all day. I swear if she's off with that beggar-boy again," Geneviève said from somewhere outside the apartment.

"Oh, that one," Mai said. "She'll be back, probably in the next hour or so. She's not going to miss the show."

"We were supposed to play tennis today," Genevieve grumbled, "I had to play against Lady Julieann. What's the point in playing if your opponents can actually beat you?"

Mai rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her book as her sister stomped off, her ladies-in-waiting pacifying her and ushering her away to get ready.

Just before midnight, everyone trailed out to the tents to wait for the gates to open.

Mai smoothed her silver gown out and looked at her ladies-in-waiting.

"I assume we'll have no vanishing acts tonight," she said.

Both looked away.

"Of course," Joliette said.

Mai let out a breath at the tension that still rippled between the pair before the gates opened and everyone swept in.

They took their seats, the lights faded and the cotton candy smoke filled the air.

"So, how do we fair on this fine night?"

The Black Rabbit's voice trailed through the darkness and Mai felt an involuntary shiver roll through her. She had become accustomed to hearing that voice beside her. To listening to the laughter and ease and lightness in the voice that came from a body close at hand.

This was different.

The sombreness hadn't left his voice. It had the slightest echo and without seeing where the voice came from, it chilled the audience.