Night 57: Sun Room
[From here]Goku took a giant leap into the room, going even so far as announcing his whereabouts with a loud battle cry. Staff poised to strike, the young boy watched the room for any hint of movement. He turned in a circle, glaring daggers into the darkness as he surveyed chair after couch after table. The lack of lighting put him at a
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Pleased with the mostly smooth progress of his night so far, Facilier left the Arts and Crafts room with a smug grin, his pillow case of new found materials slung over his shoulder. He opened the door and quietly stepped back out into the Sun Room--
And completely froze on the spot.
Lights! Lights everywhere! Blinding colorful beams and strident music greeted the doctor like a sudden blast of raw power! The Sun Room had been completely illuminated and everything from the floor to the furniture had been transformed!
For a few stupefying seconds, Facilier simply stood there, a comical caricature of a deer caught in the head lights. Facilier's Shadow had instantly shrunk behind him, hiding from the intensity of the inexplicable illumination. Meanwhile, the sound of the door closing behind him was drowned out by the blasting music.
"Wha... What...?!" Facilier mumbled, his jaw slack and his eyes wide with pupils so tiny they were mere specks against the overwhelming light.
What had just happened here?! It was only about five or so minutes ago that Facilier had tip-toed through the empty, pitch black Sun Room and helped himself to supplies in the Arts and Crafts room. Where did all the lights come from?! If it hadn't been for the music, the flabbergasted Bokor would have thought the military had caught him in the act beneath their powerful spotlights. This spectacle could not have been the presence of the Loa, as their style greatly differed from the crazed scene before him. Either way, he had certainly been caught up in something...!
"Just what is all this?!" he managed to sputter out, regaining control of his limbs and raising an arm to shield his eyes from the powerful lights. Unable to see past the luminosity surrounding him, Facilier took a nervous step back, his face as frightened and agitated as a cornered animal.
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"Oh-ho! We're in luck ladies and gentleman! Even though our first group of party-poopers has retreated, another lucky contestant has courageously stepped onto the dance floor! Perhaps we'll be getting a better show this time? Do you think so?!" he asked at the ether as his hand arched back and settled into the curve of his ear, listening for a response.
When there came a cheer from the recorded audience, Baka grinned and pranced remarkably well (given his stilettos) over to the dashing man soon to be entertaining him. "This, my good fellow, is the best Dancing Competition you'll find this side of the Universe! Welcome to...!" he started, then whipped out the microphone to the ceiling, cueing the audience to return a very loudly shouted: "Dance till you Drop"!
"Thank you, you beautiful audience you!" Baka scrunched his face as no one as though he were praising a puppy before returning to his pre-- er, contestant. "Now the rules here are quite simple, if severely complex. Would you like to hear them?"
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What made it all the more confusing was the voice that loudly greeted him from beyond the glaring lights, announcing Facilier's stumble into the suddenly theatrical Sun Room. It wasn't long before the tell-tale clicking of a woman's high-heeled shoes could be heard, approaching the doctor in a prancing gait. Facilier squinted into the lights until the stranger came into better view in front of the blinding glare.
In came a woman in a dashing dress and splendid stilettos; another startling surprise to this sudden change of events. Assuming that the lady had been sent in by the strident man beyond the lights, Facilier hesitated, fighting the urge to bolt out of the room yet reminding himself that it would be bad form to not be polite to such a striking young--
--man in a dress?!
As soon as the bedazzled stranger spoke, it was obvious that Facilier was up against the man himself who hosted the "show" he had found himself in. The witch doctor managed to keep his jaw from hanging, but his eyes blinked all the more comically as his brain scrambled to take in all that was going on. It wasn't as though Facilier had never seen anyone in drag before; he had seen every sort of personage and spectacle possible in the heat of Mardi Gras throughout his life, so the man standing before him wasn't new to him. What was new was this "Dance till you Drop" game and how it was "the best dancing competition on this side of the universe"! How was that possible?! This fellow wasn't like that strange Aximili kid he had encountered earlier, was he...?
Meanwhile, Facilier could hear cheering, inexplicable applause from an audience whom he could not see. Just where were these mysterious folks, and how did they all assemble into the Sun Room without alerting Facilier to their presence while he was gathering materials earlier?
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, despite having clearly heard what the man had exclaimed. "Th-this is obviously quite a huge mistake! I hadn't been expecting to walk into a dance competition!" he stuttered, feeling the heat of the lights and the unseen eyes of the audience close in on him. He had to get out of here...!
Taking a sideways step towards the exit, Facilier fixed an apologetic smile on his face, yet failed to hide the uneasy look in his eyes. "Please forgive me, ma'am, erm, sir, I mean..." he uttered a little cough as he took another step back. "But I've got lots of work to attend to, you see!" he explained, thumbing the pillow case he carried over his shoulder, "I'm 'fraid I just don't have the time to listen to the rules for your lovely game, never mind participate in it..."
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As Baka spoke, he twirled and posed to match each dance genre's listing before finally throwing his arms back and having the stage lights brighten even more, if that was possible. Meanwhile he barely paid attention to Facilier's excuses, though could not help the glint that caught in his mascaraed eyes when he saw the man trying to back away. After the last group had made such a cowardly retreat, Baka simply was not going to allow for this dashing fellow to make his own exit. Not without at least a two-step!
"Oh, what's this?" he questioned as the lights, and his pose, dimmed back to more proper standards. Baka raised his fingertips to the sides of his face and gave a look of shock. "Could it be? Is it true? We've found someone who is actually afraid of dancing?" he accused while the audience murmured a mix of shock and amusement, "I did not realize that such cowardice existed in the world! Why, everyone and their mother should always be able to dance like no one's watching!" Throwing one hand at the ceiling and pushing another to his heart, Baka twirled around yet again as though to pose and flash the lights again, but stopped short as the camera moved into a close up.
"Extra points if done in tighty-whities to 'Old Time Rock and Roll'," he added, completely serious, sending the audience into fits of laughter.
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The lights dimmed forbiddingly, and the unwanted attention from the boisterous host and the audience suddenly returned in full force upon the escaping witch doctor. Facilier halted in mid step, back arched in a cat-like curve and his shoe still suspended above the wooden floor. The host's insult and the audible reaction from the crowds sent Facilier's heart pounding in his ears and his face heating up with mortification. Afraid of dancing?! How dare they say that...! The witch doctor had far worse things to fear than dancing!
Like a stretched rubber band, Facilier's body snapped out of its skulking gait with sharpened fluidity before he stepped forward to face the obnoxious host, his back ramrod straight as he towered over his challenger. "Me? Afraid of dancing?! How dare you disrespect me with such a misguided assumption!" Facilier exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the burlesque host as the crowd's laughter died down.
Despite the eccentric scene that had engulfed the witch doctor and his plans for the night, his ego had been given a sharp poke by the stiletto-wearing man, an offense which Facilier would not allow the offender to get away with! Forgetting his pillow full of materials for now, Facilier discarded it beside the wall along with his flashlight before stepping up to the host's challenge with an unpleasant smile twisting his lips.
"Y'all couldn't be farther from the truth! I am Doctor Facilier, a man of many talents, including dancing!" he boasted with a boney hand planted on his chest, "I'm from the city of music, New Orleans, so I can assure y'all that I've learned from the best!"
With his challenging grin still fixed upon his face, Facilier lowered his voice into a dangerously sultry rumble. "So what's it gonna be?" he asked, bowing down slightly to meet the other man's eyes, "Let me prove my talents to you now, or waste my time by keeping up that clownish act of yours for the audience? I haven't got all night..."
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"Oh I just knew it!" Baka clapped his hands together over the microphone, brimming with delight, "Someone as handsome and debonaire as you couldn't possibly have such a fear! No one could possibly be that cowardly!" With the audience now cheering, Baka sent a wave back behind him, "Well then, let's get started! Your wardrobe will be this way, sir! Please pick out something suitable for your pre-selected dance style of... drum roll please?" The drum rolled exactly on cue as Baka announced, "CONTEMPORARY!"
In the area just shy of the room's back a spotlight clicked on and illuminated a rack of clothes holding everything from a pink flamenco dresses to a set of boxers all colors of the rainbow! Beside the rack set a coathanger filled with hats, gloves, canes and any other prop one may wish for while on the dance floor. Of course anything too dangerous, Baka had kept aside should the judges need anything with which to bash (literally or otherwise) the contestants with.
And speaking of... "Oh goodness, I seem to have forgotten the most important part! I never introduced our fine Judges! Let's say hello, shall we?"
When the spotlight alighted this time, it was to the left of the room, hovering over a table where three people were seated as though they had been there the whole time. The first wore a loose fitting black hoodie and had his baseball cap turned back on his head. His numerous accents of large, gold jewelry glinted in the stage lighting, though not so brightly as the garb of the woman on his left. She was sporting a silvery-purple gown of sequins that was surely squishing her middle and pushing her chest up. The makeup she wore looked as though it might have taken half of the day and probably some of the night to have gotten on. As for the last, he was in a simple black t-shirt and jeans and looked rather unimpressive. Despite how different the three appeared however, there was one constant - each one had waving blond hair and pale skin, just the same as the host. And beneath the shades, makeup, and disgruntled frown, even the face would have proven to be the same.
"Yo, dawg, let's get this place jumpin'! Show us your moooooves!"
"I'm sure you'll put your best foot forward tonight and be just wonderful to watch."
"Could we please just get this offense to dance over and done with?"
Baka let each judge have his (or her?) say in turn before saluting the three and looking back to the contestant. "You heard them! Hurry up and get yourself into wardrobe! Your music will be starting in five minutes!"
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However, the witch doctor did feel a twinge of apprehension at the mentioning of the dance style he was to do. "Contemporary?" Facilier wondered to himself as his grin faltered, "That means something of the present time, I believe? What does that have to do with a dancing competition?" Facilier knew how Jazz, Blues and other sorts of songs were the current style for dancing back where he came from. Yet he wasn't in New Orleans anymore, and if it really was the year 2008 in this world...
Facilier had no chance to further contemplate his contemporary quandary when the host directed his attention to the sudden appearance of three judges. Now where did they come from?! Facilier squinted his eyes at the new arrivals. Well, this was a dancing competition after all, so of course there would be judges!
Facilier still felt puzzled by them however. Something seemed a bit odd about them... Facilier could have sworn that they all looked the same as the host, down to the blond hair and the shape of their chins, but with different attire and personalities. Were they all related in someway?
The Bokor wasn't sure what to make of the first one, dressed in a strange hat, draped with over-sized jewelery and speaking in an accent he couldn't quite put a finger on; perhaps the judge in question was an eccentric rich man of some sort? Meanwhile, it was easy for Facilier to tell that the third judge was going to be a tough customer, but he had dealt with cynical sorts before, leaving them worse off than they started. Facilier was determined to show them all that he was no average man undeserving of fame!
"I assure y'all that I'll do this great art of dancing justice!" Facilier replied to the pessimistic judge, his eye glinting deviously as he gave a small bow to his audience. "Just you watch now!"
Following the spot light that illuminated the aforementioned wardrobe, Facilier disappeared behind the rows of costumes. He was not interested in changing into a new set of clothing, but he did have an eye out for a certain accessory and it didn't take long before he found a gathering of canes. Checking the quality of each one told Facilier that they were all but props, flimsy and cheap compared to his bejeweled cane. Facilier frowned at this, but knew no other options; his habit of keeping a cane at hand was still strong and he had to have something to occupy that urge for familiarity.
When the five minutes were nearly up, Facilier reemerged from the wardrobe, unchanged except for the dancing cane in his hand, a long black one with a curved handle and a white stripe at the bottom.
"If you don't mind, I only require a cane for my performance, as I already have my own garb," Facilier announced as he stepped back into the lights, both his shoes and cane clicking upon the wooden floor as he did so. "My own cane was lost, you see, and I find it to be a crucial part to my style..."
Upon reaching the middle of the room, Facilier turned to face the host, his smooth movements sent his coat tails flowing gracefully behind him. Resting his hands upon his new cane, Facilier gave another one of his charming grins to the embellished man before him. "Let us start the dance, shall we?"
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Whether the judges were there to judge, fairly or not, the patient was free to decide on his own. Baka certainly didn't have them there to make a difference when it came to scoring - the fact just stood that you had to have judges, three preferably, during a show that provides criticism. He'd taken the most recognizable of judges for which to play dress up and create personalities by, and he hoped that their A.I.s came up with some exceptional phrases with which to rattle their contestant. That last one certainly had the most promise, and his basis had always been Baka's favorite reality television judge. Baka was so sad to see that he'd left the show...
But since there had to be a dance before criticism, Baka would have to wait and see how his creations preformed this time. "One more minute~" he warned with the tapping of one heal, only to pause when the man returned with nothing more than a prop cane from the wardrobe. Either the patient was all talk and no action, or he was being a bit bolder than Baka had anticipated following his insult. "So long as you don't get any naughty ideas with that little thing," Baka warned in a way that let the mind wander, smirking all the while, "then you're set to go! Ladies and Gentleman, your first contestant!!"
The lights then fell immediately with the audience clapping loudly enough to drown Baka's scurried heel-claks to get off of the stage. Just in case Facilier was actually intending to try an attack with that flimsy cane. Baka had been attacked with far worse things.
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The music began, and Facilier's ability to catch the beats of the song instantly clicked in. His recognition of the song failed though, it wasn't anything he had heard before. However, there was no time for hesitation and Facilier readied himself for action.
Leaning upon his cane, Facilier bowed his body into a suave pose, closing his eyes and snapping his fingers to the beat of the song. His Shadow remained a lifeless, long stretch of darkness behind him, a gangly imitation of its master's movements. Then the smooth doctor broke into a dance, his cane swinging from his hand as his feet fluidly moved with the music.
Meanwhile, Facilier's ears did catch the familiar instruments back from his home: trumpets, drums and the notes of a piano. Yet there were other sounds that had never been heard in any jazz bands he knew, something that chimed beautifully and another that was reminiscent of a xylophone, yet its sounds felt so foreign to him.
Facilier could have sworn that the music he was dancing to was some form of Jazz, yet its style literally had mood swings, coming across as easygoing for a moment, then suddenly speeding up into an ecstatic waltz, forcing him to improvise his movements. He would be tapping and shifting his feet to the slow tune, twirling his cane around his elbow and bending his hat down to shadow his face. Then the next minute he'd be scrambling to catch up with the hastened waltz, twisting and arching his lanky body in the spot lights.
By then any fears and thoughts about being trapped in the institute had been fully drowned out. Facilier couldn't help but grin to himself as he felt the warming attention from the audience. His dancing grew all the more confident and extravagant, no longer intimidated by this "contemporary" music.
Suddenly, the climax of the song reached an excited pace. Completely swept up in the music, Facilier leapt into a fantastical spin in the air with his coat tails twirling around him like a pair of purple streamers, then landed upon the stage with the ease of a cat before syncing his lithe body to the quickening drums. His long legs and arms seemed to almost curl with his movements, like a charmed snake swaying side to side. He was sure he had gotten the hang of this song now!
With the music nearing its end, Facilier was set to impress, and he summoned his Shadow from its rigid state. Despite the many eyes watching them, the Shadow seemed to have been itching to join the promenade, as it eagerly joined Facilier in the dance, shifting its fluid form down the wall behind to face its master. There was another clash of cymbals, and both Facilier and Shadow became partners in the waltz, complimenting each other's jumps, flips and spins. During an electrifying round of rapid saxophone notes, Facilier performed a rapid twirl on the spot as his Shadow transformed into a python that coiled seamlessly behind Facilier's oscillating form, creating a supernatural effect to the spectacle.
Finally, the song slowed down to a resounding finish and Facilier slid into a gracious pose with a grin. He had made it with barely any missteps! Panting heavily yet greatly pleased with himself, both Facilier and his Shadow turned to face the audience and gave an elegant bow. That was sure to impress all of them!
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