“Oh?” Alexei’s mouth spread into a considering grim while his eyes scanned Jack’s face. “If we can find one, then yes.”
“Ah,” Francis breathed, assuming what she meant when she trailed off. He looked over at Jack and Alexei again. “Or we could go without him.”
Jack smiled at Alexei, running a hand through his golden locks. "Do you know if they rent private boxes here? Or rooms?" He asked, cocking his head slightly at the Frenchman.
Elizabeth nodded. "That might be best. He knows the way back to the DeFunt's home." She said.
“No rooms.” He watched Jack’s hand travel through his hair. “But there are private boxes in the grande salle for counts and the rich.”
Francis agreed. Alexei didn’t seem dangerous, so it might be best if he let Jack alone on this one. He didn’t seem to necessarily be hurting anything.
Jack nodded a little bit. "Hm." He thought for a moment. He had letters of credit from his father, and money…but could he afford a private box? Could he justify such expense? He didn't know.
Jules looked between the two. "So? What are we going to do?"
“There may be a box already rented in my family name,” he remembered. “They rent a private box for every show, even if they do not come to every show.”
“I say we see the show with or without Montague,” Francis commented.
Jack nodded. "Shall we check, then?" He asked, quirking his eyebrows at Alexei curiously.
Jules nodded. "Alright. Come on, then." He led Elizabeth and Francis over to the counter to purchase tickets.
“Oui, Monsieur,” he dipped his head, reluctantly turning away from Jack. He headed over to the ticket booth to find out which booth was his family’s, where he met Francis and the others.
Francis gave Alexei a suspicious look, but he nodded politely in greeting.
(gtg to bed)
Jack followed Alexei over, quiet as he did so. He glanced at Francis and his sister and Jules, but didn't speak. He put his hands in his pockets.
Jules got the tickets.
(Oke doke)
Francis nodded politely at Jack as well as Alexei, silent as long as Jack was.
Alexei waited for Jules to get the tickets, and when he was done went up to the counter and asked, “Ma famille a une boîte louée sous le nom de Silvestre, je me demandais quel numéro était la boîte?”
Jules held up the tickets to Francis and Elizabeth. "I managed to snag us a semi-private box." He said proudly. "So we will only be sharing it with a few other people."
Jack smiled a little. He looked at Francis, Jules, and his sister. "I'll meet up with you guys afterwards, mmkay?"
“Ah, perfect,” Francis smiled, “Semi-private is better than the ground seats.” He turned to Jack, “Alright, see you then, Montague.”
Alexei finished talking to the man at the ticket booth, thanking him for the information, and turned back to Jack. “Our box number is thirty-six.”
Jack nodded. "I'll see you, Olivier." He replied. He looked at Alexei, and smiled lightly. "Ah, good. Thank you." He tipped an imaginary hat to Alexei, flirtatiousness in every movement.
Jules smiled, and handed Francis the slip that was his ticket, giving Elizabeth hers as well.
Francis took the ticket, scanning over it briefly with a small smile.
“de rien,” Alexei grinned. “I believe the box is upstairs. Ready to go…watch the show?” He winked.
Jules beckoned, leading Francis and Elizabeth into the theater and to the box they would be sharing.
Jack smirked a little bit. "But of course, monsieur." He replied with a bow. "Lead the way." He cocked his head to the side, watching Alexei.
Francis followed Jules to the box, clasping his hands behind his back.
Alexei grinned back, and began to walk towards the staircase, their tickets in hand. He scaled the stairs, hand brushing the railing to keep balance as he climbed.
Jules was quiet, leading them inside and sitting down. "Here we go." He said with a smile.
Jack followed Alexei, quiet. He was smiling, though, not stopping.
Francis took a seat in the chair. He smiled. He hadn’t sat in an auditorium seat for quite some time. And although he didn’t care much for the shows, the seats brought a familiar, pleasant memory to his mind.
Alexei slowed once they reached the third floor, panting a bit to catch his breath. He walked past each box that wasn’t theirs, eyes squinted to read the numbers. “Finally,” he breathed once they reached 36. “Here we are. We will have to keep low. This is a private box but…they can still see us sitting.”
Elizabeth was seated beside Francis, wondering if she should, perhaps, have been more careful, since she was now alone with two men she did not know, without even her brother. And though Jack might have been a rake and a rascal, she knew that in a pinch, he would still protect her honor.
Jack nodded, smiling a little. "Of course." He replied, nodding his head to Alexei. "We can sit on the floor, if necessary."
Francis glanced over at Elizabeth, offering her a small smile before he turned his gaze to the empty stage.
“Oui, the floor.” Alexei nodded quickly, weaving around the chairs to sit at the front of the box, where they could be concealed. He sat down cross-legged, sitting against the wall to keep himself upright. He lifted his hands to the edges of his wig. “J'ai tellement fini avec cette perruque,” he muttered to himself.
Elizabeth returned the smile lightly, then looked at the stage.
Jack sat down beside Alexei, smiling a little. At the words in French, he cocked his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't…I don't speak very good French."
French day back comfortably in his seat.
“I was talking to myself,” Alexei dismissed it with a chuckle. Now that they were out of sight, he worked his hands under the edges of his wig and took it off, revealing a head of copper hair. He set the wig aside, combing his other hand through his hair, “Ah, that feels much better.”
Elizabeth was quiet. Jules looked over at them. "Monsieur Olivier, Miss Montague." he said. "The show will start rather soon."
"Ah, alright." Jack reached over cautiously, knowing that if he had messed up, Alexei would probably hit him, or worse. He touched his hand lightly to Alexei's cheek.
“Wonderful,” Francis smiled, glancing up at the ceiling like he used to.
Alexei turned his head towards Jack at the touch, listing his hand to brush his finger’s against Jack’s hand.
Jules nodded a little bit. He took a deep breath.
Jack bit his lower lip a little, cocking his head at Alexei. "So, I uhm…you sure about this?" he asked. He didn't want to…he didn't know what to do.
Alexei smiled and chuckled through his nose. “I am sure…If we do not go too far.” Going far was too risky, especially in a public place like this. He shifted diagonally, studying Jack’s expression. “Are you sure?”