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

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae smiles slightly into her tea, self-consciousness still noticeable in her posture, in the tension in her bare shoulders. "Thanks. I... really like it, but it's kind of overwhelming, if that makes sense. It was a surprising gift."

[herr_bookman]

"A gift?" Autor asks, carefully sipping his tea. "From him?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Mmhmm," she nods, rather than let herself hesitate.

"It's not like I own anything I could wear to an opera."

No, 'Owned.' Past-tense. Because now she does.

[herr_bookman]

He frowns a little, thinking on the power dynamic involved in bestowing a gift to someone who can never match it. Not to mention putting her scars on display.

"No," he murmurs, setting his tea aside, "it makes sense. It's good that you have it now, in any case, and you will look nice for the opera."

He clears his throat. "Not that you don't all covered in flour."

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae smiles, sipping her tea. "I'd feel more comfortable in my normal clothed, dusted with flour, I'll admit. The dress is... amazing. It's a tremendous gift, but it's..."

Troubling, a little.

"It's so different from what I'm used to, you know? I hardly looked like myself, when I looked in the mirror upstairs."

[herr_bookman]

Autor reaches out and pats her shoulder. "Everyone dons a costume when they attend a play," he says. "You can either pretend to be someone other than who you really are, or make it a part of yourself. Either way, the point is to have a good time."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I plan to," she assures him, with a fond smile. "If anyone stares at my scars, I'll step on their toes and lie unconvincingly about it being an accident."

[herr_bookman]

The boy smiles back at her. "Unconvincing lies are dangerous," he says. "How will you get out of trouble when they don't believe you?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"There won't be trouble; they'll know exactly why I did it. And hopefully know to stop staring," she replies.

[herr_bookman]

I forget sometimes that you have more faith in people than I do, he thinks.

"I hope you don't have to step on anyone's toes in the first place," he says, and sips his tea again. "While I'm sure people that rude exist, I hope you don't run into any."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I hope so too. But, just in case, I have a plan for if someone asks how I got the scars, too," she assures him, smiling and slightly amused.

In order to hide that yes, all her scars being on display like this does bother her.

[herr_bookman]

"Oh?" he asks, fiddling with his teacup to hide his own discomfort at her being bothered. "What's that?"

[sunbaked_baker]

On some level, both of them know their attempts to hide their discomfort from each other will fail.

They know each other too well.

"My hobbies include wrestling bears," she tells him, amused.

[herr_bookman]

"Bears?" he asks, adjusting his glasses. "Are you a world champion in your weight class?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Oh, like I'd settle for anything less," she assures him, not knowing the first thing about bear or alligator wrestling, or any extreme sports she had considered answering with.

[herr_bookman]

"That's a good fallback plan," he says, hoping his lack of enthusiasm isn't too off-putting. He favors her with a quick smile. "I hope you don't have to use it too often."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I hope I don't have to use it at all," she admits. "But I like having it ready, in case someone does, so I'm not caught off-guard."

[herr_bookman]

"I wish I could go with you," he admits. "I could help you step on toes."

[sunbaked_baker]

"That'd be great," Rae grins. "You could fill me in on all the stuff I don't know about opera - which is just about everything - so I don't sound like a complete novice."

[herr_bookman]

"You'd pick it up quickly," he declares, and the sobers up a bit. "But I'm sure Dr. Lecter will be filling that role already, right?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"I'm not familiar with the story of the one we're going to see, tonight. It's from the Bible. He has a synopsis he says he'll let me see, once we go."

[herr_bookman]

"That makes sense," Autor says, nodding firmly. "It wouldn't do to have you be lost."

He pats the bar to have his teacup refilled. "Now that you have the dress, do you know if your attending the opera will be a regular thing?"

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae hesitates. "I don't know," she answers, honestly.

"I had... almost told Dr. Lecter that he shouldn't commission a dress for me," the phrase still falters on her tongue, "that I could borrow one from the bar and give it back afterwards, but he said there wasn't any point in dematerializing a dress if I liked it. And I'd have something to wear if we wanted to go again sometime."

[herr_bookman]

Autor raises his teacup. "It's a suitable garment for the occasion, as we've discussed," he says, and takes a slow, quiet sip. "I... do hope you have the chance to attend many more operas, Rae."

[sunbaked_baker]

She chuckles very slightly.

"I still... I kind of worry I might not like it? Music has never been my thing, not like it is for you, or Dr. Lecter. I'm in it for the story. And that's a bit daunting, when you don't know the source material, and don't speak the language it's in."