[Athor's note: I do not often attach media for this work, but here I wanted readers to be familiar with at least one cover version of this song. It should be apparent why, from reading the chapter. BTW, There's a new movie for which ScarJo does a lovely cover of this same song (which is also on youtube), but I still prefer the Siouxsie version.]

When their taxi reached the provided address, David exited the car first. He approached the gated residence with the others following, disguised by long coats and dark glasses. He rang the bell and a voice replied through a speaker, "Yes, who is there?"

David glanced back at the others. "Did you hire a band to play?" David asked.

There was a pause. "Yes; my employer. I will come meet you." Shortly, the man in casual attire came from the front door to the gate to admit them. "You are expected," he said, "please follow me."

"These are the performers," David introduced them, "They'll need a place to change. I'll need to make a couple trips through the gate to move some equipment."

The house man gestured toward the front door. "Go into the hall and wait. I will help with the equipment."

With the servant's help, David brought the equipment throug the gate in one trip. As they worked, he explained that he would be the one to set-up the performance space.

The house man showed Orchid and Morpheus to a nearby room where they might dress, then led David further into the house. David attempted a telepathic scan of the servant's mind, to determine surface thoughts. This man knew what sort of performers they were, and he knew that his employers was Affan, the incumbent governor.

David was shown to a large, dimly-lit room at the back of the house. There was a tall, thin man standing near the far wall, somewhat concealed by shadow and swirls of smoke.  "Against that wall," he said with a languid gesture of one hand.

David set up the machines, and also two small banks of footlights on the floor. He checked the mic for sound. He looked around and saw he alone with Governor Abi Gamal Affan. "Shall I fetch Rakis and Katir?" he asked, using their stage names.

"Please," Affan said, pouring something from a bottle into a glass.

David went along the hall to the dressing room. Orchid and Morpheus were checking each other's make up when he arrived.

"Everything all right?" Orchid asked, voice warbling, as he tried not to move while Morpheus fanned a make-up brush over his cheek.

"Aye. The room's clean. I sense no malice. Neither of them know of any cameras or bugs. It is Affan, you know."

"I gathered," Orchid said, shooing Morpheus's brush and hand from him. "Even I can sense it being this close to him."

David looked to Morpheus. The silver glitter on his lids showed through the holes of his mask, and then he opened his eyes and they were entirely black.

"I don't foresee anything bad happening," Morpheus said. "He's just going to watch."

"Voyeur, huh. I can work with that," Orchid said, "let's go." He knotted the ends of his blindfold behind his head.

David returned to the rear of the house. He went to the mic and in a quiet voice announced that Vivid Sadness would take the stage.

He then moved some distance away, where he wouldn't block the view.

Morpheus bounced up onto the stage first, masked, lips shimmering blue, and dressed in a red velvet costume.  He lifted his acoustic guitar and pushed its strap over his head.

"Katir is shy sometimes. It gets hard for him to perform with so many eyes on him. He's got his blindfold on now, so he's ready. If I sing for him, he should find his way on stage."

Morpheus began to strum and pick at his instrument while Julien stood in the doorway, doing a good job of faking self-conscious body language as he hugged himself.

"Trust in me," Morpheus sang, "Just in me. Shut your eyes and trust in me...."

There was an audible gasp from the back of the room as Orchid began to slowly snake his way towards the stage in sinuous movements that reflected spotlight off his green-gold spangled costume.

They continued this snake-charming number through the song, until Orchid was on the stage rubbing against Morpheus and making a show of trying to lick his face.

When the song ended, Morpheus turned away for a moment to switch guitars and Orchid took the mic.

"The things that man does with a guitar; I just want to make-out with him for five minutes."

When Morpheus turned back around, Orchid grasped him with a hold on his jaw and kissed him. It didn't last five minutes, but on the stage half-a-minute of showy, wet, stage kisses with--no doubt intentional--flashes of tongue was almost too long.  

"Mm." Orchid stood before the microphone, wiping at the corners of his mouth. "Might be a record. Wrecking my lips before even singing a song. Well, now I look a proper hot mess...."

They went into their usual Vivid Sadness routine of danceable numbers with lots of guitar, synth and vapid, vaguely suggestive lyrics.  As they played, the clothes gradually came off, until they were strutting about the stage wearing only boots, snug shorts, jewelry, and some mismatched gloves.

Finally, they played "Rooster". David didn't think there'd been a Vivid Sadness show where they played this song without at least simulating sex. Whether they ever actually had sex on stage was debatable, especially as the full lighting rig, stage height, and crowd movement in a larger venue obscured a lot of detail. Here, they were basically in some clients rec room. 

It looked pretty convincing, but then Morpheus being a shape-shifter, he could make a lot of things seem convincing. David almost felt he should leave the room, and he was used to sharing a house with them.

When the song was ended Morpheus and Orchid sunk to the floor. The stage lights went out--Orchid had likely flipped the switches telekinetically.

Affan hurried from the room through a second doorway.

"He's gone?" Orchid whispered, pushing at his blindfold.

"Aye," David said, stepping towards the stage.

Morpheus was breathing heavily, but Orchid, being the Vampyre didn't breathe half as much to start. He just sat between Morpheus's legs gazing at him.

"Oh, My Gawd! I want you so bad right now."

Morpheus turned his face away. "Don't tempt me. I will take complete advantage of your post-performance high."

"Can take anything you want right now, long as I get to be all over you."

"I know."

"At least get as far as your dressing room," David said. Morpheus was right, Orchid getting a rush from his blindfolded exhibitionism wasn't new, it was just more typically handled after being whisked away to a dressing room with a larger crew to handle clean-up and run interference with hosts.

David began collecting the equipment while Morpheus led Orchid back to the dressing room.

When David wheeled the trunk into the hall, he listened at the dressing room door, before he dared knock. One of them must have sensed his precense, because Morpheus laughed and called for him to come inside.

Morpheus, of course, had the advantage of being able to instantly change clothing and make-up; David found him fully dressed in his red costume and black mask. Orchid, on the other hand, was barely dressed beneath his long, open coat and sat smoking a cigarette with lips still stained a bright pink.

"You client say anything about a meet and great?" David asked.

"No," Orchid said.

"He left in a hurry," Morpheus told him.

"Must have had business to handle."

There was a knock at the door.

Orchid felt at his coatpockets until he found his sunglasses. He put these on in the stead of his blindfold. "OK," he said.

David opened the door. It was only the servant there offering an arrangement of flowers. David thanked him and took them in.

Orchid reached for the bouquet of  pale pink orchids and black roses. "They look good together." He had orchids tattooed on his back, David knew, as well as a dark rose along the inside of his right arm.

The servant knocked once more when  the driver they had called arrived. They left without seeing their host again.

When they returned to the hotel,  David noticed Zulfikar sitting in the lobby.

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Secret: I have no idea what the song "Rooster" is like, except that it's this infamous song. For all I know it could be a Country song about a one-eyed gunfighter or something.