To see an opera

[sunbaked_baker]

(Up in her room, Rae gets ready.)


When Sunshine comes down the stairs, today, she may not look wholly like herself. The baker is usually seen in the bar wearing bright t-shirts or sweaters, with colorful jeans and sneakers, her hair up in a ponytail or held back by a likewise colorful kerchief. One colorfully casual customer.

Today her hair is down, tumbling about her scarred shoulders in loose waves of red, and what she wears is not her normal style at all.

She takes care with her steps, and not just because of the silver heels that grace her feet. As she moves down the stairs, Rae consciously straightens her spine against the fluttery nervous feeling in her stomach, and hopes it will soon pass.

This is going to be an enjoyable outing. Rae refuses to let her feelings of self-consciousness mar it.



(ooc: Sunshine will likely be out of the bar for a while after this, so any and all threads are welcome, but will be millitimed to before her thread with Hannibal Lecter.)

Comments

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Lecter gets up from his chair when he sees her.

He's already in suitable evening wear, polite black-and-white penguin to her lovely phoenix.

He smiles an impressed smile, and bows deeply.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Dr. Lecter," she smiles back as she approaches. Her answering curtsey - she can't pretend it's an action she's accustomed to doing - is only faintly hesitant.

"I can't thank you enough for this," Rae remarks, her fingers almost unconsciously brushing against the dress's beadwork. "It is a tremendous gift."

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Lecter nods. "A truly awe-inspiring design," he says. "When I first saw it in that colour, I immediately wanted to see you in it. It is the colour of sunrise."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I'll admit some of the time I took getting ready was spent just looking at it," she smiles, chuckling slightly. Some of the butterflies have succumbed to her will, but some are still fluttering. The warm colors of her dress pick up the faint traceries of the gold sunlight-set set into her skin when she moves.

[cook_the_rude]

"It is amazing," Dr. Lecter says. "It surpassed my expectation, and is much better on you than it even was on the picture I saw."

[herr_bookman]

Autor's eyes widen as he sets his tea down on the bar. "Nice dress, Rae," he says. "What's the occasion?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Clearly, it's to see you," she says, after a moment of surprise at seeing him. "Where on earth have you been? It feels like I've not seen you in forever."

Autor, this is your Hug-Warning.

[herr_bookman]

Autor offers her a small, lopsided smile. "Oh, you don't need a dress for that," he says, hopping off of his barstool at the Hug Warning in her tone.

"My door hasn't been that reliable lately," he says, a touch sheepish. "Sorry, I probably should have left a message or something."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Well, I guess I can forgive you, then," Rae replies, hugging her friend. "I was just worried I'd slip away without catching you before I went home for a while."

Of course, that is somewhat delayed, now.

[herr_bookman]

While embracing her, Autor's first thought is to ask why she's going home in such an opulent dress. His second casts doubt on his first.

And his third exits his mouth: "Oh? You still haven't gone home? Well, I'm glad we managed to see each other before then," he says, debating as to whether he should ask about his first thought. "You're not going home now, are you?"

[runningred]

"Hello goddess!" Jay looks her up and down. "You look amazing!"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Thanks, Jay," she smiles at him, coming down the stairs. "Good to see you, too."

His compliment makes her smile, but there's still some unease lurking in her posture, tension in her bare shoulders. Rae isn't used to all of her scars being so prominently on display. Nor, of course, is she used to clothes of such quality and fineness.

(Or the high heels, but that's just a matter of growing accustomed to them.)

[runningred]

"So where are you off to tonight? Somewhere worthy of dressing up for?

[sunbaked_baker]

"I've been invited to go see an opera," Rae replies, her smile pleased but slightly wry. "And... the dress was a gift from a friend, since I didn't have anything dressy enough."

The baker is all t-shirts and jeans a sneakers. Not this red-carpet figure.

[runningred]

"Fancy friends you have." Jay teases. "All I have to offer is spywear and explosives."

"What are you seeing?"

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"Oh wow, you look wonderful." That's Juliet, sitting near the fish tank and trying to keep herself awake via heavy application of espresso.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae's face breaks into a bright smile. "Hey there, stranger," she says, coming over to her to offer a hug. "It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you."

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

Juliet blows a raspberry, which puffs a strand of her hair from it's resting place upon the center of her forehead. Then there's hugging. "I know - I've been buried up to my neck in work back home!" After the embrace ends, she adds, "Where are you off to?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"To the opera!" Rae replies, still hardly able to believe it. She doubts her people back home would believe her if she told them.

[craftylildoodlepumpkin]

"Oh wow - which opera?!" Jules hasn't ever been an opera person but the idea of going someplace so high-class mildly intrigues her.

[collects_strays]

Graham is in an armchair near the fireplace, leaning forward, the sort of stance of someone you'd expect to be in intense conversation, though he doesn't seem to be doing anything more than staring into space.

(Winston's a few feet away, lying flat on the floor, perfectly content to watch the fire.)

He glances over when Rae enters - she's a little hard to miss, after all. But as he's unsure she'd want to speak to him, he does no more than that.

[sunbaked_baker]

She doesn't exactly look like a baker, today. Her natural state is in bright t-shirts and jeans and sneakers, with her hair in a ponytail or kept back by a colorful kerchief, the occasional dusting of flour on skin or clothes, smelling of chocolate and cinnamon and yeast dough.

What Sunshine wears at the moment is... finery. The silver strap heels and intricately beaded scales of the dress are not her usual, by far. She may have poise, coming down the stairs, but there's self-consciousness, too, lending tension to her bare shoulders.

Rae isn't used to having so many of her scars on display. It leaves the unpleasant fluttery feeling of nervousness in her stomach.

When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, Dr. Lecter doesn't seem to be in the bar room. But she does spot Will Graham, and decide to say hello, at least.

[collects_strays]

Graham looks back to her when she approaches, but still waits for her to speak first.

He also meets her eyes, but it may be in part to avoid looking too obviously at her shoulders.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae offers a slight smile as she approaches, when she notices him looking at her. It's true the scars marring her shoulders, upper chest, and arms are rather... extensive. Most are indeterminate things - scrapes and scratches, tears upon impact - but only a few are unique. A thin burn-scar loops her neck like a long necklace, as though a fine, red-hot chain had been set firmly upon her skin. Another scar cascades elaborately along her upper arm as though some vicious creature had fallen teeth-first down it.

The only one obviously inflicted by a weapon is the sickle-shaped knife scar over her heart, on her upper chest above the swell of her bosom. A wound set where there is little more than skin over bone, meant to make her bleed, not kill her. At least, not right away.

"You found your door again, I see," she greets Will Graham, smiling faintly as she glances at the content-looking dog by the fireplace.

[collects_strays]

"Evidently..."

Though she glances away, Graham keeps his eyes on hers, even as he says, "You, um - look nice."