Chapter 2104: Bunny Hop

The moment that the dancing started, everything else stopped.

The curtains opened to reveal streamers hanging from the roof, two platforms with swings high above the platform on either side, and a small group of bunnies standing front and centre.

They were in colourful costumes, ones that would flash in the targeted lights of the stage, but standing perfectly still. Then, the music started, drums first, and the bunnies exploded into motion. Four of them practically flew up to the top of the swings, using their powerful legs to climb the ladder in three steps and less than a second.

The dance began at the ground, while members began to split off and climb the hanging silk curtains.

For a moment, spectators worried the strips of gossamer cloth would not be enough to hold the performers. Then they realized that it was Epic Grade spider silk, capable of pulling a building down.

The bunnies reached the top of the silk cloth, and the ones on the swing let go, flying at them, to spin and tumble down the cloth in a tangled dance. They stopped halfway, separating to swing across two separate streamers as the dance continued around them.

Each section of the stage had a different dance going, but they were all designed to match and work together, showing off the sensual agility that the bunnies were known for.

To Karl, it seemed a bit off, as there weren’t any male bunnies in the city, and they hadn’t chosen to have constructs fill the roles. But the crowd didn’t seem to mind, and this dance was one of the more tame celebration rituals for the Bunny Goddess.

Nothing that couldn’t be shown to an all ages audience, and even the outfits were tame, by bunny god standards.

But the crowd didn’t care. It was all about the agility and the show, as the music picked up in intensity, and the bunnies flew around the stage, swinging into each others arms for a brief moment before flying away to continue their dance.

One of the men in front of Karl spoke loudly enough to be heard at surrounding tables.

"You know, my Clan has had bunnies serving it for the whole thousand years I’ve been there, and I have never once seen this sort of dance.

Is this something that they all know? Or did the Darklight Host teach them?"

"I believe that it’s a religious ritual, so they should have known it before the Darklight Host arrived. But I’ve never seen it either, and we are considered to be one of the more egalitarian Clans when it comes to our servants," another replied.

The lady next to him laughed and gestured to the stage. "I think that we might all have to evaluate our treatment of the bunnies. Look past the dance, most of them are true Immortals, with at least partially formed Immortal Spirits.

They’re mostly Bunny God Clerics, but I see some life skill class colours to the name plates.

If that’s not egalitarian, I don’t know what is. And the bunnies still do the same work here. They work the cafes, do the cooking, the cleaning, and everything else. So, the Darklight Host didn’t lose out on all the positions that the bunnies usually filled, they just got better and happier bunnies."

Karl chuckled as Eryman smiled and whispered to him. "They talk a big game, but when they get home, nothing is going to change. They’re too afraid of losing their servants or starting a revolution among the ones that are not bunnies.

Most of these clans recruit from mortal worlds, but not just those who are reaching Immortality, if you get my meaning."

Karl nodded. "Grab them at Totem or Mythic Rank, deprive them of resources, and see how long they work as servants to the Clan before they reach Immortality. It’s a wonderful way to get indentured servants, I suppose.

However, I’ve got a lot in the Guild who were taken by those with no intentions of ever letting them undergo tribulation.

Mostly Demons and Lizardfolk."

Eryman nodded. It was common for many clans to view the other species as less than themselves, and the mortal demons were usually seen as somewhere around the level of a Familiar, a bound servant that could be disposed of at will and replaced.

Naturally, that caused major conflicts with the Immortal Demons.

The lights strobed as the bunnies danced, and then the music paused with a patter of bare feet was the bunnies landed in a row and took a bow.

"We will be back in ten minutes," they announced.

A break between sets, so they could all catch their breath. They could have just swapped out dancers and continued the show, but the break was introduced as a way to encourage people to order more drinks and food, instead of simply staring at the stage.

It was the only way that they could get anything done without having the staff dress as dancers while working, because people got upset about having their viewing interrupted by the flow of servers.

They still wanted the beverages, but they didn’t want the people moving around during the dance.

The break gave them the perfect chance to refill all the drinks, bring out snacks for the next round, and gave people a natural break if they needed to leave to do something else, instead of staying until midnight for the last dance.

Not everyone could watch them all night, no matter how much they might want to.

Karl and Eryman were in the same position. They had duties to take care of, and Eryman needed to get the reports from his Paladins on how things had been going in the dungeon, and around the city.

He might be far from home, but the work never ended, and the longer that he put it off, the longer that it would take for him to catch up when he did finally get to it.