[Staging Note: Elara is in Valerius's domain, wearing something elegant but slightly too dark for her. Valerius is offering her a literal and metaphorical taste of his world. They circle each other in a predatory ballroom dance.] [Intro] [Tempo is a slow, sultry cabaret waltz. Heavy upright bass and smoky piano.] [Verse 1] [Male Vocals - Valerius (Baritone)] Look at you, shaking, a bird in the snare With the scent of the living still trapped in your hair. You’re thirsty for something the sun cannot give You’re dying, my darling, so why don't you live? Just a drop on the tongue, just a kiss in the dark And we’ll extinguish that fragile, ridiculous spark. [Verse 2] [Female Vocals - Elara (Soprano)] (Her voice hesitant but mesmerized. Tempo speeds up slightly.) It’s cold in the shadows, it’s freezing my skin But I can’t remember what city I’m in. The weight on my shoulders is starting to float As I listen to every dark word in your throat. I shouldn't be here, I should turn and run back... But the gold of the morning is fading to black. [Chorus] [Gothic rock elements enter. Heavy, distorted electric guitar chords hit on the downbeats of the waltz.] [Male Vocals - Valerius] Take a drop of the midnight, and swallow it down! [Female Vocals - Elara] I’m slipping, I’m falling, I’m starting to drown! [Male and Female Duet - Valerius & Elara] The clock is shattered, the pendulum swings! [Male Vocals - Valerius] Step out of the dirt and put on your wings! [Female Vocals - Elara] I’m losing the daylight! [Male Vocals - Valerius] The daylight is a lie! [Male and Female Duet - Valerius & Elara] We'll dance in the dark while the centuries die! [Bridge] [Music reaches a frantic, dizzying peak. Drums are pounding.] [Female Vocals - Elara] But who will I be when the memory fades?! [Male Vocals - Valerius] A queen of the silence! A god of the shades! [Female Vocals - Elara] My family is waiting... [Male Vocals - Valerius] They’ll rot in the ground! [Female Vocals - Elara] But I love them! [Male Vocals - Valerius] Love is a meaningless sound! [Outro] [The heavy music abruptly drops. A single, seductive accordion line remains. Valerius dips Elara low.] [Male Vocals - Valerius] Drink the midnight, my dear. [Female Vocals - Elara] (A whisper) ...I'm so thirsty. [Blackout on a heavy, echoing drum strike.]
