VGFlIGRybmsgMiBzaHRzIHdoc2t5IDIgbG93ZXIgaW5oaWJpdGlvbnMKTEFXIGZvcmNlIGhlciAyIHBydG5kIDJiIGV2aWwgRHIKYnV0IFRhZSBpc24ndCBldmlsThe sound of ice cubes clattering in an empty glass was masked by the backstage ambience. The glass was placed inconspicuously on a wooden stool, and next to the glass was a tall rectangular glass bottle filled halfway with a golden-brown liquid. Both the glass and the bottle sat undisturbed for several moments. Then, a hand reached out and grabbed the neck of the bottle. It paused for a moment, as if contemplating its next action.
"No. Two is enough, I reckon," said a voice as the hand released its grip.
An ominous, yet energetic song slowly faded in, dominating the atmosphere of the otherwise silent arena.¹ The arena was pitch black, save for the deep blue light cast upon the backstage exit by overhead directional lights. The light started out imperceptibly dim and gradually grew in intensity, illuminating the thick shroud of fog that had blanketed the stage area. As the fog swirled about, it cast transient shadows, making it appear as if
something were moving amidst the fog.
Eyes honed in on the mist, their owners expecting a form to materialize as the spotlights grew brighter—but nothing appeared. All that was visible was an empty stage, obscured by fog. The audience scrutinized the mist, searching to see if anything was missed. Seconds passed without progress. There was nothing but fog.
All of a sudden, the sound of stringed instruments cut in.² Fast, staccato notes filled the air in bursts.³ Blue strobe lights momentarily pulsed, revealing the slender form of a woman on the entrance ramp before going dark. More bursts of notes rang out. The strobe lights pulsed again, revealing that the woman had advanced further down the ramp.
Then, the bursts of notes stopped, leaving only the bass and percussion.⁴ The audience's vision was once again occluded by total darkness. The crowd waited for almost a minute, and were given no additional glimpses of the woman. As they waited, the music slowly faded out.
In its wake, the music left nothing but silence. A cough rang out from the back row. Phone lights flicked on, but they failed to beat back the darkness. A phone clattered to the floor.
"Hello?! Anyone there?!" cried a lone voice from the audience.
The voice was met with no response. Murmurs began to rise among the audience. Eyes searched everywhere: the ramp, the ring, the stands, the ceiling. But no one managed to catch a glimpse of the mysterious woman.
Then, without warning, all of the lights flicked on. Standing directly in front of Mikan was a woman: the woman had a slender build and wore a black dress underneath a white lab coat. On her lab coat was a name tag which read "武見 妙", or "Takemi Tae".⁵ Tae's face was emotionless while her eyes rapidly scanned over Mikan's body. Eventually, Tae's eyes would settle, and Tae would attempt to look Mikan directly in the eyes.
"This guinea pig will suffice," Tae would state before throwing her lab coat out of the ring.
NOTE
Tae is wearing regular black boots without raised heels.
¹ 0:03 in the entrance music
² 0:27 in the entrance music
³ The rhythm was as follows, where dashes represent eighth rests:
♪♪♪- ♪♪♪- ♪♪♪- ♪-♪- ♪♪♪- ♪♪♪- ♪♪♪- ♪♪♪- (repeats three more times, then strings take a break)
⁴ About 0:40 in the entrance music
⁵ "武見 妙" translates to "Takemi Tae"
