Lorenzo, or as he was now, Manipulate, donning his signature mask as people had begun to file into the theater. As the seats filled and the room filled with the chatter of so many voices, Manipulate slipped to the backstage area to prepare. His puppets were ready, dressed and strung up, ready to shine.<br/>"Show time my dearies." Manipulate said as though addressing a room of actors before a show. As time ticked away, he took his place behind the contraption that allowed him to move the marionettes without being seen himself. He wanted his work to be seen. On cue, the curtains opened to show his creations, and the show began. This was one of his bigger performances, and thus required more work on his end. Pulling and twisting the strings he watched as the puppets followed his commands, having no choice but to. A grin found its way on his face, hidden by the mask as he completely controlled them. He could hear the collective gasps and hushed whispers from the audience, a usual reaction from those seeing his works for the first time.<br/><br/>As the act drew near it's conclusion, Manipulate was expecting a clean finish. Just as the final scene came to a close, one of the strings holding the female leads wrists snapped. Now had these been ordinary dolls, it wouldn't have been a problem. However, these weren't ordinary dolls. As the limb swung freely, a steady trickle of blood splattered the stage in large droplets. He could see the first few rows begin to either stand or panic from their seats and he had to act quickly. Forcing a changed ending that incorporated the 'bullet wound' that drew the character from her dreams, back into reality, he ended it. The curtains swept closed and Manipulate held his breath waiting for a reaction. A few seconds ticked by before he was given a round of applause. Letting his breath out, he slipped out from behind the curtains, careful to step over the mess, to bow before the people. Standing and watching the crowd leaving, his eye caught a figure that stood out in the sea of people. Signalling for one of his men, Manipulate pointed the orange skinned girl out, giving the instructions that he wanted to meet her. He left it up to them how to convince her, be it by her beauty, or something else, as he removed himself from the public eye to assess the damage done to his work.