Dragon Theatre || Danse sur Glace Macabre
tw: water, blood, leg/arm trauma, impalement
Commencing execution…
【 DANSE SUR GLACE MACABRE 】
[ ♪♫♩♫♪ ]
Tooru is dragged away from the main group by forces unseen and placed on a frozen lake. A glittering cloud of ice wraps around her boots and when it dissipates, Tooru stands on ice skates. The cloud forms again a short distance away from the girl, creating the illusion of what appears to be a young man, also in skates. He looks familiar, but you can’t quite place his name and the way his form shimmers in and out of existence like a ghost makes it difficult to make out his face clearly. Tooru, who is much closer, looks horrified for a brief second of recognition and then switches to an accepting smile in contrast to her pained eyes.
Music starts up from a location unseen and Tooru starts to skate. The illusion joins Tooru and you realize that they’re performing a routine to the music. Rather than just skating, they’re dancing on the ice. The dance itself is beautiful, truly the work of a professional, but you can’t help but feel apprehensive. There’s a grim aura surrounding the dancers and every second that passes feels like a countdown to when something will inevitably go wrong. Each lift, spin, and twizzle could be the last. Still, the soft smile does not leave Tooru’s face.
The song gets closer to the end and the illusion brings Tooru up for one last curved lift. It’s the picture of perfection, that is,until he sets Tooru down awkwardly, sending her spinning away to try to regain her balance. She momentarily looks panicked; mistakes like this aren’t normal for her. In her moment of confusion, a spear of ice shoots up from the lake, leaving a thin trail of blood behind on Tooru’s leg.The blood drops down onto the ice, staining the clear surface with color.
The smile is gone.
The song restarts.
When Tooru looks up to see where the illusion of her dance partner is, he’s nowhere to be seen. That is, until he materializes right in front of Tooru, holding the spear of ice that injured her leg. He thrusts it forward, catching Tooru’s arm and sending more blood splattering down onto the ice. The pain spurs Tooru into action and she pushes the illusion away and tries to skate back to where everyone else stands. No longer following the beat of the music, she makes a desperate rush to escape.
Tooru goes about two feet before the skates on her boots change shape, enveloping her feet in ice. She kicks her legs, trying to break the ice in vain. The ice does not give way and instead travels further up her legs, making escape even more impossible. All attempts at professionalism are gone out the window; tears streak down Tooru’s face and she screams in terror. In fact, she screams hard enough that after only a few minutes she goes silent, having made her throat raw.
The illusion circles Tooru, keeping in beat with the music. As the final note plays, he skates close to Tooru, holds her hand up in the air…and impales her with the spear. With one final flourish, he fades away with the music, leaving Tooru alone.
The ice around Tooru’s feet melts, allowing her limp body to fall down onto the ice, where it lies for a moment that felt far too long. The ice on the lake, having served its purpose melts, and Tooru’s body sinks down into the water.
Tooru Hanabusa, the wolfskin Super High-School Level Ice Dancer, has been executed.
[ art by sunny! thank you! ]
