The now-returned buzz permeated through Club Wonderland. Now that things had kicked up again, people had regressed into expecting good shows not seen elsewhere. Week-to-week, it was once again a healthy establishment with a crowd most nights.

Though the promise was, once again, quite common, a special show was promised for tonight. That same promise had been fulfilled twenty times over, but it also never failed to impress the people that cared for quality. The excitement tempered once the lights dropped out, an the new female voice rang out over the speakers.

"Ladies and… oh, who am I kidding, gentleman and gentleman!" The female voice was now far stronger and more confident than on the first day of reopening. Clover had since grown past the pains of operating a business such as Wonderland, and now spoke with the same sarcastic but pleased tone Queen used to.

The lights faded into a deep red, coating most of the club in a black as dark as raven feathers.

"Fun fact," Clover stated, "This is actually a secret show. I was asked to keep this little adventure quiet from the rest of the girls here at Wonderland. Why? I don't know. She just didn't want one of them to know she was here, so everyone thinks that this is just *another* one of the many girls we employ."

Raven Branwen felt a weird series of emotions that she had come to forget and ignore. It wasn't shame or cowardice, but it felt close enough to them. The reason, of course, is that the main reason she wanted to keep her show a secret from Club Wonderland's employees was that she knew her daughter worked there. Rather than take any chance at confronting Yang, she opted to do what she always did: watch from afar.

"I guess the other employees don't need to know YOU specifically are coming on. Queen did tell me a lot of them had weirdly specific stipulations, but whatever. If you only have one show in you, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

For the first time in… a long, long time, Raven had regrets about leaving her daughter. It had been a long time since she had considered a world where she took Yang with her when she left, or worse, a life where she became a proper mother instead of a leader. Though she had long since pushed away any strong feelings of attachment, she was still a mother of a girl. The small part of her that still carried some maternal instinct… regretted that her decisions had led to her daughter becoming a stripper. That same daughter, following Summer's death, raised her step-daughter to be a stripper as well. Raven closed her eyes; it was too late to concern herself with that now, especially since it would make her a hypocrite considering where she was standing.

"You know, you kind of look like… never mind, just talking to myself. Not my place, anyway."

Raven narrowed her eyes. She had been blessed with many things, youth being one of them. That said, that meant she looked quite similar to the daughter she'd rather not think about. This Clover girl managed to figure it out immediately, but thankfully, Yang wouldn't know her mother would share her stage. Why she was there? Well, the indirect comment on how young she still looked didn't hurt, but it was mainly for her own pleasures.

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be fine. Nobody would complain, I'm sure. The whole thing is whatever the girl's all about or whatever, and that ought to be fine. I'm not exactly the best judge for what makes women attractive to men, but yeah, the obvious is obvious."

The lights fell and illuminated the curtains. It was a mix of deep reds and solid blacks, though nothing moved. Suddenly, another light turned on with a loud clunk. It pointed slight in front of the curtains. Several loud, continuous drops hit as more lights turned on, gradually illuminating the runway. Finally, one massive light lit up the proper stage.

"Now, to me," Raven thought to herself. Another thing she was blessed with was hard-earned skill, which she put into great use. Tonight's first talent became clear as the lights illuminated the main stage, bathing her with them. To the audience, she had merely appeared on the main stage with no movement, which wasn't quite wrong.

Raven stood proud in the center of the stage. Having seemingly appeared from nowhere, she sat in the quiet admiration she could feel from those watching; she knew the feeling well, seeing as she had a tribe of people that knew her as what she really was. She had worked hard for her power, and deserved her attention. Now that she had it, she needed to prove why beyond parlor tricks.

The crowd felt a combination of excitement, surprise, and fear. The woman on stage cut a frightening figure, especially after she had appeared from the dark. Her hair was long, raven black, almost like feathers. She wore an eastern-style obi, the mountain-print sash wrapped around a loose top. Her red skirt was offset by a massive array of feathers gathered at her side. Opposite said feathers was a massive sheath for a weapon the crowd could only imagine. That, plus the gauntlets adorning her arms let them know the woman was a threat.

But that mask.

The woman wore a mask.

One that frightened those that looked at it. After all, it was worn by two things. One, the beasts of Grimm; monsters wore white masks with red cracks and veins. The other were the White Fang. They wore masks to be the beasts people thought them. Adam Taurus wore his own version of the face, the slit eyes staring hatred at the world.

But that was them.

This woman wore her own mask. And it was greater. Like the Grimm, like the White Fang, it was white and red, but to say that there was any more similarity was laughable. People saw the masks and thought, "monsters." People saw her mask and thought, "this one kills the monsters."

And so, Raven made her mark with nothing. She had merely stood there and watched as people looked at her with a fearful fascination.

"And you're right to fear me."

The lights went out again. The world was bathed in dark for only a moment. When they flickered back to life, the woman was gone. The stage was empty. Directing the eyes of the audience, the spotlights returned to the curtains in the back, where the imposing woman was waiting. She had reappeared in an instant.

She also wasn't alone.

"Now, to show the world my secrets."

By way of her nature, Raven kept secrets. Too much had burned her on this world to not keep her treasures hidden. One such treasure was… the second closest thing she had to a daughter. A successor.

A maiden, one might say.

Vernal took the stage. Raven saw fit to wait at the curtains, allowing the crowd to see her shadow instead. Vernal served as her greatest weapon: a veil. She hid the truth about Raven's power, and for that, she was valuable. She felt far more in her sheltered heart for Vernal than she did her daughter; out of sight, out of mind, after all.

"Go. Go, Vernal."

Vernal, the False Spring Maiden, confidently strutted down the catwalk. She, as always, would hide Raven. Tonight, as always, Raven was her director. With a satisfied smirk, she absorbed the eyes of the crowds, spinning two rings around her fingers.

To the crowds Vernal was a good mix of tomboy and outlaw, flavored with Wonderland's charm. She had incredibly short brown hair, adding a rougher edge akin to raiders and bikers. Crystal blue eyes pierced through the dim lights, carrying a look that said she was superior to all sitting. Around her left arm was a large tattoo of a Raven bursting from a bed of flowers; her loyalty only added further intrigue, seeing as tattoos were a rarity even in Vale.

Captivating most people with taste, Vernal wore a choker. Further adorning her neck was the collar of her vest, lined with perfectly positioned black feathers, forming a sort of look astonishingly appropriate for a burlesque show. They bounced with her every step, carrying her motions well as she juggled her two rings without an ounce of effort. Beneath that vest was a one piece, a dark leotard that fit snugly to her proportions, displaying her body in the dark. Further highlighting that figure were thigh highs, ever the greatest fashion choice.

"Be my front. Be the one people look at."

Vernal took the main stage. With a final flick, she tossed her rings in the air and caught them in the opposite hand, then tossed them into the gutter of the stage. Now done with parlor tricks, she looked back at Raven, her master. With her instruction, Vernal stepped towards a pole and began her dance. With an incredible amount of precision and flexibility, she twisted and arced, managing to completely circle herself around the pole with zero visible effort.

Raven herself began slowly stepping down the catwalk, approaching the main stage. Her pace was glacial, each step taking an age, letting the crowd divert their attention to Vernal.

"And now, a display of power. What they'll know as *your* power."

The world began to move. Coming from the main stage was a chill as wind began to bluster. It spread throughout the tables closest to the main stage, seemingly born from the woman on display. Said woman eased off of a pole and found her way to the center. She pulled off her vest. Even more black feathers attached to her one piece spread out as she discarded her top, turning her into an angel with raven wings.

"Fly. Fly like a Branwen."

Now, with the wind at her back, her supposed power, Vernal cut a striking image as a woman with wings. Her movements were even more graceful as she flew to the next pole, the wind surrounding her as veil. Her feathers ruffled and moved with her, as if truly part of her body and not a mere decoration. The dark angel swirled and glided on her new perch, letting everyone stare at her immaculate motions.

"And now your divinity stops. Because I control it."

And just like that, the wind stopped. This coincided with the woman in the mask breaking onto the main stage with a powerful click of her heel. Vernal's dance stopped. Like an eager servant, she retreated to center stage, standing before Raven. The younger woman knelt down, her bowed. The woman in the mask readied her blade.

The lights went out. There was silence followed by a red crescent slicing through the dark.

The lights returned, illuminating the massive red blade attached to the masked woman's sword. Having finished her strike, she resheathed her blade and stood. Vernal rose from her knees, her clothes falling off of her in shreds, her wings clipped.

"You will always be my shield. A tool to serve my tribe. To serve me."

Vernal stood up, holding her hands over her breasts and waist. Raven's strike had removed everything, leaving her completely bare. She stood on stage, completely naked, covered only by her trembling hands. Still, there was no fear or shame on her face; this was the decision her master had made, and she accepted it.

The lights fell again.

The lights came on again.

Vernal was gone. Disappeared. Vanished. The short haired woman who had been stripped bare was nowhere to be seen. In an instant, she had somehow been erased, as of a portal opened up beneath her feet to send her elsewhere.

"And now, I take my place of admiration."

Once again with all eyes on her, Raven stood tall. Taking her place in center stage, she raised either of her arms to the side, almost like spreading wings. Slowly, she began to tip over backwards. Not breaking her stance, Raven teetered towards the ground, ready for impact. Just before she made contact, a swirl of red and black opened beneath her, a break in reality. The void swallowed her, and just like her successor, she vanished.

This time, no lights fell. The stage remained illuminated as all music slowed to a crawl. Everything turned silent.

Slowly, the music began to rise again. A chorus of chirps and caws befitting the woman they sung for. Another portal opened, this time a door leading back to center stage. Revealing her hand, Raven stepped out. Her mask still glared at the world, instilling fear.

But now, the woman created a different emotion.

Excitement. Carnal excitement.

Raven stepped out of the portal in a new outfit. Gone were her armguards. Gone was her blade. Gone was her obi. Everything used to mark her as a warrior, all save the mask, was replaced by a short kimono. Barely a robe, it hung heavy off of her shoulders, somehow not falling off her body to expose her upper arms and bust. A slightly familiar set of cleavage poured out from the low hanging top, massive breasts straining the otherwise loose collar. The combat skirt decorated with raven feathers had been trimmed to near nothing, each step of her bare feet raising it to just below what it was designed to cover. Those steps made everyone in the audience ask if the woman had anything beneath that skirt, and she saw fit to not tell them.

Though each of her steps was calculated with strength behind them, Raven gave off a completely different image. It wasn't threatening, but… they carried knowledge. It was the steps of a powerful woman with influence, one people turned to. The image continued as she knelt to ground and laid out her body. Raven drew a finger across her body, highlight the curves now visible.

And then, the mask came off.

Slowly and deliberately, Raven removed that fear inducing mask. Placing it aside, she completed her image. She looked like an eastern courtesan, wise beyond her years. She also looked… motherly. Though it was clear to see she wasn't a young woman, she carried an elegance and youth big expected of her age. Her presence said the age of a old, powerful mother, but her features said she was far, far younger. In fact, the crowd, at least those that had been to Wonderland before, recognized them. That face was the same as another girl, only she was blonde. Even the eyes matched, at least when the blonde got excited. Raven also had the same body. She had the same curves, the same legs, the same heaving chest. One she saw fit to expose.

Raven turned her back to the crowd. Grabbing either edge of her kimono, she slowly pulled it off, not allowing people to see her full form. For an instant, she rose and allowed one peek, but she quickly disappeared into a portal, leaving behind her kimono.

"I've allowed my desires to take me far enough."

And thus ended another night under Club Wonderland's new management.