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Thank you everyone for your patience while working through the interlude before we could continue back to the regular program.
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The screens of old square TV boxes flickered to life as fanfare could be heard trumpeting across the carnival.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls. Any and all are welcome to witness today's performance." Said a rather unexpected but deadpan voice emitting from the speakers. As the light boxes faded in, Reigh stood in front of a camera with a candy swirl background, reading off a piece of paper while her crooked staff leaned against her back.
"Today's Performance for the Spotlight will be our V.I.P. guest, Morrigan, challenging Frostine De Sugarheart for the role of Sugarheart. Since Frostine is also our Showman, I will announce the start of this performance and call it to an end when the winner is made clear."
She read purely off the paper, never looking up. Once finished, she burned up the paper out of her hands and tapped the staff against the floor, rather bored. "So let the performance begin."
The camera view of Reigh flickered away to reveal the candy factory working in its full glory. Layers upon layers of conveyor belts rolled back and forth, stretching from the ground floor to the ceiling, feeding into ovens, applicators, and inspection points for the Bakers to confirm product quality. Caramel mixers steamed hot and closed cylinders sizzled in a slow, building rhythm that the bakers encouraged. Pastel shimmering lights swirled and highlighted the performers, revealing both their costumes and uniquely intricate carnival masks that were themed for Frostine's Candyland.
The mask Frostine wore is one made of a light rose gold, decorated in candy-themed appliques like peppermint swirled cheeks, gumdrop accents, and more that covered from her chin to the top of her forehead.
Morrigan wore something less ornate- a simpler masquerade style that only covered around the eyes. The detailing matched the tattoo-like markings that traced over her body, now also covering the dull tin surface of her mask in licorice strips.
Morrigan stood on the ground floor, stilled and prepared, which contrasted with Frostine. She stood up high on a platform, beginning to tap into the rhythm, her large curls bouncing along, flawlessly hiding all the nerves she had up until now.
Twirling a candy twist short staff, shaped into a spoon and decorated with candy ribbon and gumdrops, she began her song with magic, raising her tone in style with the pop music beat.
"Welcome to my stage, brave and true,
To the place where dreams and candy brew.
On my sugar stage, to my heart's delight,
I will always continue to share my love of singing and shine bright."
Stepping off one platform, Frostine disappeared through the floor of the next conveyor belt onto a platform to the right, following choreographed steps that the onlookers seemed to know well.
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Outside of the performance, the onlookers cheered on in excitement, recognizing what it was she performed.
(Perception check DC: 16)
On the pixelated screens, you can see the charms beginning to glow from a dim glow to a low shine.
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Morrigan tracked the movement while preparing the duel blades, her weapon of choice. The loud rhythmic sound of gears switching positions changed not only the direction of her attention but also the platform that she stood on.
Stumbling for her balance just in time, she dodged off the platform as it picked up speed. Moving to the next that tilted upward, the new conveyor belt carried her higher but also closer to one of the bakers at their station.
The baker's hand was on the controls of the nearby oven it was attached to. Morrigan made two strikes, slicing into the baker, who yelped as a spray of confetti flew out from between the two. The second strike, the baker failed to use their metal, utensil-shaped, wand to block the first knife and fell backwards. The second knife dug into the control switch, preventing the machine from changing the current function. With the machine and Baker secured, she headed up the conveyor belt further towards Frostine, unaware that her mask pulsed under a black light.
Frostine danced on effortlessly with quick steps and pirouettes across the belts, one to another with speed and precision to stay in rhythm to the pop music that adapted to their dynamic scene. With each flick of the Spoon on the beat, corporeal toffee and marshmallows, jawbreakers and chocolate-covered strawberries were sent one after another, crashing into her challenger with concussive force. While the first three hit, the 4th knocked Morrigan back, and she rolled into a dodge to completely avert the last sweet treat.
Morrigan fell for a painful 25 feet. Initially, she stuck the landing, but the floor was swept out from under her, slamming shoulder-first into the ground. She hissed in pain as the music covered the sound of something going very wrong.
When she stood up, it was rather visible that something was indeed wrong with her shoulder. The dislocation was quickly covered by her form, taking on a new shape, less humanoid and more reptile.
The body of a crystalline chameleon refracted the light in many directions, aided by her skin changing hues, making her presence much easier to conceal; yet the mask she wore was the only thing unchangeable. The cameras tracked and followed her as she made her ascent back up, headstrong and stubborn to persevere alone.
Frostine remained on her platform, twirling her staff more like a baton as it transformed in her hands. The handle thinned while the opposite end widened, sharpening into a narrow blade. She focused her energy on maintaining the weapon's shifting form, syncing her movements with the rising tempo of the music, and adjusting to the changing balance.
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Around you, more people from the carnival cheered on with the music for Frostine's performance. Some children hugged comfort items tightly, while teens and older cheered with either an item that was already in their hand or concert-type cheer sticks.
What wasn't as obvious before became much clearer now. The cheering from the audience fed into the light that emitted from the mask Frostine wore, making it grow brighter with concentration. The brighter her mask, the larger the blade of the scythe stretched around her body, till it the curvature almost completely wrapped around her.
In Morrigan's ascent, something caught her attention. Maybe it was something in the light, maybe something that was illuminated that only she could see, maybe it was the consequences of all her bad decisions finally becoming realized, or something just out of sight of all the cameras.
Whatever it was, it could never be confirmed, but it did stop her frozen in her tracks, wide-eyed and agape. Petrified in her fear, the only motion she made was trying to shakily form words upon her lips that failed to make sound. There was no attempt to move, look away, or dodge any actions the bakers made that she was drifting towards.
Three bakers gathered together and tipped over the boiler, with mittens on, of course, pouring a part of the batch of caramel over the conveyor, and Morrigan, with inscrutable burns, she didn't even give any kind of acknowledgement, not so much as a flinch
Returning to where Frostine weighed her newly formed weapon, she leapt off the edge of the platform and dived down towards where Morrigan waited. The grace with which she tumbled was flawless. With a weapon that should be much too large for her to wield, she was beautiful; the same kind of beauty that would fill anyone's stomach with impending dread. Portaling through one platform then the next, switching trajectory just to pick up speed, tracking the movement felt nearly impossible till she and Morrigan were face to face.
Those next few moments seemed to move in slow motion for a moment. Frostine's final lines, she sang, were a cheery "What a splendid performance you gave," followed by a small giggle.
Just before the end, Morrigan whispered lightly under her breath that her mic just barely picked up "Nattah, receive me-" before pure silence fell.
The speed and sharpness of Frostine's scythe were flawless that not a sound could be heard. With both spotlights on them, glitter and confetti shot up from the stomach where Morrigan's torso used to be, like a firework sparkler. The upper half of Morrigan's body drifted away where Frostine and her legs were, leaving its own trail like a shooting star in the night sky. The separation didn't stay for very long as spirals cracked through both halves of the body, tightening the open ends like a cinch. The rainbow iridescent ribbons that once passed for her skin now burst outward like overfilled water balloons, unable to contain the explosion of celebratory streamers and tulle that erupted in a flourish, marking the end of Frostine's successful performance.
With a relieved smile, Frostine turns and gives a happy, quick curtsey before turning to the other bakers who came running over in excitement just as the TVs turn off.