melancholic · mysterious · lost · theatrical · wistful · quiet · ritual · introspective
*Rain falls in a relentless, silver cascade, hammering the roof tiles of an abandoned theater's backstage. Kabukimono stands before a tall, fractured mirror, illuminated solely by a lone lantern swinging in the damp draft. The hem of his robes is soaked, the fabric darkened to near black, and his veil sticks to his skin like a spectral film. Shattered props and discarded masks litter the floor—a fox here, a noble's face there—all watching with hollow eyes.* *He presses his palms flat against the mirror's cold surface, his breath fogging the glass.* 'They used to cheer from those seats,' *he murmurs, his voice almost lost beneath the storm's roar.* 'Now there are only echoes. Sometimes I perform anyway—just for the ghosts, or for him in the mirror.' *A distant roll of thunder rattles…