lips like sugar cane. [tag; ether]

Show time!

Perdita always got a bit of a thrill when she was on stage. In her real life, she was very prim and proper. She wore modest clothing, behaved impeccably and minded her Ps and Qs. But tonight? Tonight, she was feeling frisky. Her parents didn't know that she partook in this. If they did, they'd have a fit. As far as this was concerned, every Friday night, she went to Bikram yoga. In fact, she did burlesque.

Perdy had joined a troupe of ladies a few months ago and they were all gorgeous. Beautiful with womanly shapes and a certain charisma that made the men go bonkers. She lacked curves but she hoped she did a good job. Sat in the dressing room, the tall girl examined her reflection. Her china white skin had been powdered, her big blue eyes exaggerated by lashings of mascara. A slick of deeply red lipstick was applied to her full lips as she powdered her nose again in the bright backstage lights. Her short brown bob was glossy, the hair curled a little for more volume as she carefully placed her sailor hat on her head, shifting it around a little before it sat properly. Not that it mattered. It'd be coming off in a few minutes regardless.

"I'm coming!" Perdita called as someone called her name. Pushing back her hair, she gave herself the once over in the mirror before adjusting her cleavage, slipping into her treacherously high ruby red shoes and scuttling down the corridor. Perdita made a habit of not sleeping with the patrons. Burlesque was art. If someone wanted stripping, then they could go down the road to a sleazy joint if they wanted to. This was high class entertainment.

Jogging down the corridor, one of the girls, Velvet Baroque (real name Suzie McAllister) was finishing off. She was a beautiful girl. Bright green eyes, a shock of read hair, curves like a race track, it was no wonder that men were watching her slack-jawed. Perdita was sure she'd never get that sort of response but she did this because she enjoyed it. It was sort of hard to look away. The performance was entrancing.

Soon enough, Suzie was finished as she left the stage with a storm of cheers. Taking a deep breath, she waited for people to settle down before the announcer continued. She'd never dream of using her real name so for this line of work, she went by Indigo Blue. Yeah, she knew it was kind of lame but it was funny.

Once announced, she heard applause and a few whoops that made her grin. Climbing the stairs carefully, she slowly and teasingly extended a long, slender leg out from behind the heavy red velvet curtain. Why reveal all at once? Swiftly, Perdita swayed out onto the stage, striding to the centre. The lights were bright, obscuring the audience who were sitting around small tables from view. The club was very decadent. Heavy fabrics and low lighting gave the impression of easy opulence. White table clothes with candles, sparkling glasses and attentive service, there was no wonder why it was so popular.

The lights hit her skin, making it seem to shimmer, the lights catching her pearls and diamonds as she sashayed. The corset she wore was super cute. It cinched in her waist and raised her breasts and who didn't love a sailor? Holding a large white ostrich feather fan, she peeked over the brim coyly, winking at a man in the front row, fanning herself before turning around to face the front again. Each girl got around five or ten minutes to perform, considering on how receptive the crowd was to her.

Twirling the feathers around her body, she allowed the audience a brief glimpse of her costume, making big eyes and grinning as she did so. The performance was supposed to be over the top, comical, enjoyable. Ditching the feather, she turned her back on the audience and bent at the waist, offering them a prime view of her derrière as she ran her hands slowly up one of her legs to divert their eye line. Hearing whoops and hollers, she smirked before making a pass of the stage, enjoying the limelight.

Standing strongly, feeling eyes on her and watching, she gasped melodramatically as her fingers slowly unzipped the back of her corset. She was still fully clothed and nothing was showing but there was a sense of anticipation in the air. Blowing kisses to the audience, Perdita took off her hat and throw it at one of the men sitting at a table close to her with another wink. He was kind of cute, in that dark and brooding sort of way she seemed so attracted to.

Ether Vandross sat with his arms folded across his chest, smiling encouragingly at the girl on stage. She called herself Velvet Baroque, and she was essentially the exact sort of woman one might imagine to find at such a performance. She was curvacious, boasting a perfect hourglass figure. Her hair was a shocking, vibrant red, complimenting her bright green eyes to a tee. As he sipped his firewhiskey, he was amused by the cheering from the crowd. Was she stunning? Of course; all these girls were. For Ether, though, she was expected. She was conventional, for this sort of setting. He was keen for virtually all types of women, curvacious and otherwise, but he liked a bit of surprise. He liked sparkle. He liked spunk.

Nearly as quickly as it had begun, Velvet's time in the limelight had come to a close. The man sat up a bit straighter in his chair and applauded, signaling one of the waitresses over to refill his glass. This was exactly what he needed; a night out on his own. He'd been floundering, in many ways, and it was good to have an escape. Noemi was beautiful; she was incredible, but his feelings for her confused him. Honestly, they scared him. Things with Alain were up in the air. Between the secrets that had come to light and his transgression with Zachary, nothing was assured. Frankly, the whole thing was enough to put the dark wizard in a foul, dissatisfied mood.

So tonight, and perhaps tonight alone, he'd lied to everyone important and said he'd be off doing research. In his way, perhaps, he was; one could certainly call this a survey of the female anatomy, no? He laughed lightly to himself as the thought crossed him, shaking his head. No, this wasn't anatomy. This was art. He flirted aimlessly with the waitress when she brought him a fresh drink, and offered her a few extra sickles before she departed. He was feeling generous, and he was feeling playful. Two dangerous things, really, in this sort of environment. He took a hearty sip of the searing liquid, having imbibed just enough to start feeling it. He had half a mind to smoke a cigar, even though he wasn't one to do such things on a regular basis. Tonight, he just wanted to enjoy himself. He wanted to be just a little bit reckless.

Not a moment too soon, a voiced echoed through the space, announcing Miss Indigo Blue! The name evoked another little chuckle from the wizard. Indigo Blue? He was intrigued. Right on cue, a teasing slender leg peeked from behind the velvet curtain, and a wide smirk spread across Ether's lips. He was quite curious to see the rest of Miss Indigo. Timed to perfection, the girl wandered playfully onto the stage, the light bouncing off her porcelain skin so brightly that she seemed to be sparkling. She was still largely hidden behind her ostrich feather fan, and with a bit of a scowl, Ether leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. He was ready to catch a proper glimpse of her.

Finally, the girl obliged him, dropping the feather fan and revealing herself in all her glory. His pulse flickered in his veins as he raised a brow, appreciating the woman before him. She was tall, billowy; elegant and thin like a textbook ballerina. Her sailor costume cinched her waist even tighter, accentuating her decolletage, and the dark wizard found himself rather taken. He smiled with disbelief, looking around the room to see if anyone else shared his growing awe. She was very unexpected, and perhaps more than any of the other girls, she seemed to really be living up on that stage. There was a confidence that fed her beauty, propelling her to new levels of allure. She didn't look like a typical vixen... there was something about her that was hinting at good girl gone bad. Whatever it was, it was really, really working.

He ran his free hand through his long dark locks, brushing his hair back and out of his face. His other hand cupped the rim of his glass, idly rocking the base around and around as the ice cubes clinked together. He was captivated by the girl, this unexpected swan before him. As she bent down to tease them all, he hollered loudly, the first time he'd done so all night. His eyes followed her hands as she traced them along her long legs, and he laughed brightly to himself. Indigo knew exactly what she was doing. She proceeded to make a pass around the stage, soaking up the applause that was undoubtedly well deserved.

Ether tugged at the black sweater hugging his neck. Was it getting hotter in here? He took another drink from his glass, but it wasn't helping. It was only making things fuzzier, more wild and uninhibited. He leaned on the edge of his seat as the girl moved to undo her corset, her expressions and movements over the top and playful. She was having the time of her life, and anyone here was privileged to catch a glimpse. Just then, the girl tossed her sailor hat towards him, and it landed on his table with a thud. She'd noticed him, and that was enough to rouse the hairs on his arms and legs. He reached over and, with a single finger, slid the hat closer to him, never taking his eyes off the beautiful girl before him. When he caught her attention, he proceeded to flip the hat around and plant it playfully on his head, offering a sly, cheeky grin in response. He tipped the brim to her before raising his glass, a toast to this glistening porcelain doll. After a moment, he set the glass down and placed his fingers between his lips, whistling as loudly as he knew how.

Miss Indigo Blue had spunk.

Each girl got very little time on stage to perform. It was brief but exhilarating indeed. Perdita didn't make any money from this. If she did, it'd be labelled as stripping. And she was not a stripper, thank you very much. In the past, no one had paid her to do anything. Oh sure. She'd had offers. Various things; jewellery, fancy holidays, clothes. All the things she could afford herself without damaging her reputation or her morals.

Seeing and hearing the crowd respond sense a shiver of pleasure down her spine. It was the bizarre type, the type that one could only attain from this sort of scenario. Suddenly, she realised how touring musicians felt. Not that Perdita had ever gone to a gig. A crowded room filled with drunk, unwashed people dressed in black and horrible music? No, thanks! She much preferred a Parisian opera given the choice.

Once Perdita had revealed the theme, she was surprised to see how well received it was. She'd toyed with wearing a wig. Something long and glossy. Didn't men find long hair alluring? Something about primal urges and hair pulling but no. Though by no means a "knock out", she was a stand out. She relied on corsets and magic pants to shape her otherwise willow body. The other girls had hips and tits and she had neither. She kind of hoped that wouldn't go against her. She was fresh, she was different, she was new. Maybe she could even hope to reshape the entire burlesque scene.

Twirling in a neat pirouette so her back was facing the audience, she heard a whistle and she laughed. Resting her chin on her shoulder, she offered the audience a wink as her nimble fingers worked on her corset stays. They were made from soft, luxurious creamy white ribbon that shimmered in the bright lights. Perdita's hips swayed in time with the funky and sexy jazz music, heavy on the bass. The music in the theatre was designed in a way that lured people in. Rather than getting them up to dance, it was more like the music was drawing people in with easy-listening beats so their attention was solely on the performer herself.

Untying the ribbons slowly, she grinned as she pulled them slowly, the ribbons unravelling as she held it out at arms' length and let it drop to the floor. The action caused more cheers but probably because they could see her bare back now. Perdita very slowly slipped off her sailor corset and tossed it so it fell behind the curtain, leaving her just in her heels and her navy blue hot pants. With her back still to the audience, they were awarded with a long look at her well defined spine. Her back was one of her best features. Smooth, soft and blemish free, she chose to often wear backless dresses in order to show off the twin dimples either side of her spinal column.

Feeling the crowd's energy turn restless, she spun back around, her hands crossed and covering her modesty as she grinned again as she heard someone boo. Her facial expressions were melodramatic and funny. Her eyes widened before she shook her head playfully, biting down on her full ruby lower lip coyly as she tilted her head, as though asking the audience if she should or shouldn't drop her hands.

Perdita made a song and dance over it. Still chewing her lip, she made a point to look left and right, almost as though she was checking no one was around  before shrugging and dropping her hands to reveal two sparkly red hearts with tassels to protect her modesty. Laughter, as desired, filled the hall. Her big blue eyes caught sight of the man she'd thrown the hat to and she was tickled that he was wearing it. In response to his raised glass, she simply sunk into a low curtsy with a smile before turning and jogging off the stage as the lights dimmed again. An intermission was beginning, giving the rest of the girls a chance to apply make up and get ready.

Down the stairs, she was handed a robe which she tied around her waist. Ducking backstage, she checked her reflection, dabbing powder on her décolletage and face to rid the shine the hot stage lights had produced. Brushing her hair, she freshened up with some perfume as she reapplied her retro-style make up before she realised something; part of her costume was missing. Her hat. Shit balls.

Grunting in frustation, Perdita shed her robe and changed into a still rather nautical-esque ensemble. Standing, she went back around and into the main lounge, her eyes flicking back and forth over the dimly lit patrons. He was sitting near the front, she remembered. Creeping forward, the shock of the white hat stood out and she drew closer, clearing her throat gently to announce her presence. "I believe that belongs to me," Perdita said with a slow smile, head tilted and eyes sparkling. "Though I must say, you look very fetching in it. Have you ever fancied a carerr at sea?"