“I found an old tape of my mom while I was rummaging through my old apartment.”

“I remember playing it a lot when days were hard and the odds felt insurmountable. Just hearing her voice would give me the strength to keep going.”

“I’ll go ahead and play it.”

[Click]

“Let me tell you something, Peter.”

“Life for me hasn’t been a high class theatre.”

“It has burned out lights,”

“And delaminated floors,”

“And fire hazards,”

“And a crowd that’s unruly-“

“Many swears they will utter.”

“But through all that,”

“I’ve been dancing on,”

“And landing contracts,”

“And earning credits,”

“And sometimes getting a standing ovation”

“Becoming the highlight of the night.”

“So son, don’t you give up.”

“Don’t lose faith in Arcadia”

“Because life gets kind of tough.”

“Don’t you stop now-“

“‘Cause I’m still moving, baby,”

“I’m still dancing,”

“And life for me hasn’t been a high class theatre.”

[Click]

“I must admit, life hasn’t been easy for me either. Ever since the explosion that claimed you and the rest of the Red Light District, I’ve been finding it harder to keep on fighting.”

“Ever since joining the Seekers, I’ve been beaten, humiliated, and nearly killed for standing up for what I believe in. The tide of war that once moved in our favor has begun pushing us back. Those not participating now see us as terrorists, even though all we want is a better future for Arcadia.”

“By all accounts, I should’ve surrendered and died long ago. Yet here I am, still participating in a seemingly never ending battle to find out what’s behind the door out of this place we called home. All because I know that my mother would do the same if I was in her place.”

“She went on that stage at strip clubs, risking being raped, assaulted, and possibly even murdered in order to make sure I saw tomorrow. No matter what those patrons did to her, she remained optimistic.”

“Optimistic that one day she would see her son grow up to become the pillar of hope that Arcadia needs.”

“Optimistic that for every Narcissa, Nox, and Sunshine that try to keep people complacent in a tyrannical regime, someone like me will inspire the common folk to fight on, much like she did for me.”

“Optimistic that her son won’t be just another lamb to the slaughter, instead being the one that stands tall after overcoming improbable odds.”

“Nineteen other Titans will try to crush that hope by any means necessary. They’ll try to break my faith in Arcadia by uttering swears and making life kind of tough for me.”

“But much like my mother, I’ll still be dancing.”

“Even if they break the lights so I can’t see, I’ll still be dancing. Even if they set me on fire until I’m nothing but ash, I’ll still be dancing.”

“Until that bell rings and my name is announced as the winner of the Lambs to the Slaughter match, I’ll still be dancing.”

“And life for me hasn’t been a high class theatre either.”