I'll be your clown

Scapegrace stepped into the darkened room, head held high. She walked slowly to the centre of the floor. There she closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and raised her arms to embrace an imaginary partner.

Behind the glass

There was no music, not even in her mind. There was no-one to encourage her, to urge her on or applaud her courage. (There was no courage, for how could there be, in the dark?) But she held her arms high, maintaining the posture, and took the first careful steps of the dance.

Go 'head and laugh, cause it's funny

Scapegrace moved slowly, with a grace that spoke of long practice. She made the turns with exquisite care, compensating for the missing weight of her absent partner. Her feet moved silently on the cold floor.

I would too if I saw me

She didn't open her eyes. There was nothing to see in the darkened room - but there was nothing to see in her mind's eye, either. Whatever images she might have conjured up were long gone, washed away by disuse.

I'll be your clown

She didn't cry. She refused to cry. The tears welled in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She would remain the picture of perfectly-composed elegance - until the dance was over, and the moment passed again.

On your favourite channel

She circled across the floor, swirling through the moves. Her steps remained textbook-perfect, the emptiness in her arms forbidden from altering them. She leant back, counterbalancing herself, wishing she could even remember imagining the feel of her partner's hands supporting her, letting her fly.

My life's a circus (circus), round in circles

She stumbled to a halt, the dance not to much finishing as fading away. Her arms fell to her sides, and she let her head hang loose, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Her tears, held in for so long, tumbled down to splash on the wooden floor.

I'm selling out tonight

A hand touched hers, and Scapegrace raised her head to see Iximaz standing in front of her. The other woman smiled slightly, and held out her arms to Scapegrace.

"Mind if I... cut in?"