[b]Backstage at the Marsden Theater House[/b]

Adelia sat complacently in a velvet lined chair as a servant girl evened out her hair with a pair of shears. Standing for a long time she had kept her hair a constant length for all her performances, but now she was considering letting it grow out. Still, what was started needed to be finished. Especially in regards to her hair. So she remained seated and made a mental note to call off all future haircuts until she felt differently. She clacked her fingers against the counter before her impatiently. All the while she fidgeted making her hair stylist's job much more difficult. Her eyes kept drifting to the ornate bathtub she had demanded be installed only a few days ago. It was always kept full of cool water salted with the finest mineral salt. 

While her servant barber was making a side pass along her locks she turned her head completely and abruptly to the side to face the tub. She took a deep breath wafting in the pseudo ocean smell of the brine bath. Shortly after she heard something drop to the floor, then the smell of iron permeated the air. She turned around to see her stylist clutching her left hand with her right. Crimson droplets leaked out from beneath the skin to skin seal and began to form a small pool beneath the fallen scissors.

Even in human form Adelia’s mouth began to water, and she felt her teeth begin to elongate like needles. “M-madam, m-may I-I-” The servant’s trembling words were cut off when Adelia suddenly lunged forward and sunk her pointed incisors into the flesh of her forearm. In stunned horror the sirens latest victim stood too stunned to even scream from the pain.

As her taste for blood was sated Adelia’s eyes went from those of a frenzied shark to that of a playful dolphin. Slowly she released the girls arm and she began to back away opening her throat to cry out for help. In response Adelia swiftly dipped her arm in the tub beside her and levitated it’s entire contents of water. It then gushed forth and engulfed her former barbers body where she stood. Try as she might to cry out all she could do was waste her breath and speed the water entering her lungs. Struggle as she might she was going nowhere so long as trapped in the prison of water. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Adelia’s toothy grin blurred through the saline solution.

Once her victim's eyes closed, her body fell out of the water and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Adelia promptly returned the water to her tub, then spat out the patch of skin and flesh she’d bitten off into the nearest waste receptacle. From the folds of her dress she produced a fishbone, with which she used to pick her teeth before the scrutiny of the mirror. When she was satisfied she pressed the call button to fetch some of her family's hired muscle. Seconds later there was loud knock on her door accompanied by a gruff voice. “Is everything alright in there Madam Marsden?”

“Quite so, please come in.” Adelia was absentmindedly filing her nails when the pair of guards entered. They both paused in the doorway and looked on at the drenched and wounded servant. By now she was beginning to cough and sputter. Without turning to face them she instructed them as to what she’d have done. “You two found her in the alley behind the theater shortly after she got attacked by a stray mutt. Dry her off and take her to the nearest doctor.” It didn't even phase her that she was comparing herself to a mangy animal. It was the best she cared to come up with. After all, the alternative was she finished what she started and ended the girls life. This was both an act of mercy, and a way of being conspicuous with her newfound eating habits. There was no reason to make a mess in her changing room if she could help it.

The younger of the two men started to open his mouth, but he was cut short when the other shot him a hard look. Without a word they hoisted her up and draped her arms across their shoulders. As the turned to leave Adelia stopped them on a final note. “After such a traumatic incident I’d take anything she has to say with a grain of salt. Make sure the doctor does the same.” With that they departed and Adelia was left alone with her grooming. Her next performance was barely an hour away and she had to look her very best.

She stood up and let her hair swing from side to side so she could check it’s evenness. Much to her delight it was, and since she hadn't let her stylist start on her sides they were was well. Though they were longer than she usually kept them.

Adelia passed the time readying herself rather than risking another incident with a servant. She had to admit that there was something satisfying about doing her own makeup from time to time.

Right when she heard the applause well up inviting her to the stage she felt Nixus’s call. “Just great…” She mumbled to herself. All that preparation had been for naught. There was no way she was going to be able to give a quality performance with her Lord’s beckon nagging inside her.

[i]Well, maybe it was not a waste getting prettied up.[/i] She thought to herself. Adelia had used to adore the name Nixus, and even now that she was one of his lackeys she still clung to the hope that she might impress him and elevate her status. A cage in the dungeon was unbefitting for one of her stature. Surely the lord would recognize this soon enough. 

As she casually abandoned her performance and strolled across town towards the château all she could think was whether her extravagant garments would win any favor with the master. Her poor stylists fate, or how they were going to cope with her disappearance at the theater couldn't have been further from her mind.