Elizabeth took his arm with a smile and a nod. "Alright." she replied, standing beside him as they walked to the lobby. She wished her brother could be more like this. A gentleman that wouldn't dream of kissing another man, much less the things her brother often did.
Francis returned the brief, genuine smile, guided her out of the box, and into the hallway. He eyed the few couples milling about, walking to and from the bathrooms to their boxes. “So, how are you liking the performance so far?” He asked while they continued walking.
"I don't know. It's interesting enough, I suppose, but I've never been a huge fan of the opera." she replied with a shrug. And unlike Jack, I have no desire to find other entertainment in other people's bodies. But she didn't add that out loud, knowing it would be a highly inappropriate thing to say.
"Nor have I." Francis agreed with a bob of his head. "I like to think of myself as interested in all of the arts, but I never have been able to decipher the plot of operas enough to be very invested in the story." While he walked, he kept an eye out for Jack—only out of curiosity to see if he was walking the hallways as well.
Elizabeth nodded. "I would probably understand it better if I had a better knowledge and understanding of Italian, or if the operas themselves weren't nearly so long as they are." she glanced over at Francis for a moment, shaking her head. "But Italian is not a necessary language in most day to day life, so."
"Indeed it isn't," Francis returned the brief glance over to her. "If I had known I would be attending so many operas in my life, I would have insisted to my tutor that she teach me Italian as well as more than basic French. Those two languages seem to come in handy at the most strange and importune times," he chuckled. "But by the laws of chance, if I did speak both of them fluently I would never need them."
Elizabeth let out a laugh, smiling a little and nodding. "Yes. My father wanted Jack and I to learn French…I was the only one that bothered. My brother only knows how to say…things I will not be repeating." Her mouth pinched slightly.
Francis couldn’t help but let out an unattractive chortle at that. “Honestly, I can’t see it any other way. Of course he would only care for those words. People learn about what they prioritize, hm?” He shook his head in bewilderment, and continued to softly snicker.
Elizabeth wondered for a moment if she should not have shared that. But it was too late to pull the words back now. "Yes." She replied simply, shrugging a little bit.
Noticing she didn't find his comment very amusing, Francis bowed his head slightly, catching his lip between his teeth. Surely he'd said something wrong and he ruined the mood. He remained quiet for a few more yards down the hallway, at least until he thought of something to change the subject. "Are you looking forward to the boarding school?"
She snorted a little bit, a rather unladylike sound. "Not very much, no." she replied, shaking her head a little bit. "They are just going to teach me how to "be a lady" or something like that, I believe."
“I see.” Francis chuckled at that, but not for very long. After his last bout of laughter didn’t seem to well received, he made sure to check his humor. “That sounds dreadful.”
She shrugged. "I'm sure I'll survive it." She replied, letting out a soft breath. "After all, it isn't as if I'm going to be fighting anyone."
“Hm, this is true,” Francis agreed with a faint hum. “I wish you all the best there. Oh, and that you won’t have to fight with any of your peers.”
Elizabeth's mouth quirked a little bit at that. "Thank you." she replied, looking up at Francis for a moment. "I hope I will not fight them either."
Francis glanced back down at her. A warm smile gently lifted his cheeks, finding that he quite enjoyed her company. Especially when he was able to have a conversation with her without having to worry about her brother’s antics.
Elizabeth looked around quietly, letting out a faint breath. She seemed a little more at ease without her brother around, probably for good reason. Jack was…well. Wild, and that meant that she had to be even more careful so as not to seem wild herself.
After another handful of moments, Francis finally spoke again. Drawing in a breath as if the words took actual effort. “Perhaps we should begin heading back to our seats. The intermission should be over soon.”
Elizabeth hummed for a moment. "Oh, of course." She replied. "That sounds good." She smiled gently up at Francis, then returned her attention back to the hallway.
(Should we just timeskip?)
(Yeah, that’s a good idea. Maybe that night when Alexei bails on Jack? Then Francis can conveniently show up while on walk or something, awkwardly not knowing if or how to comfort him)
(:D yes perfect! Shall I handle that, or do you want to?)
(If you could that’d be great!)
(alright!)
Jack was pacing as he waited. Alexei hadn't shown up, and he was starting to think that the Frenchman wasn't ever going to show up at all. He chewed on his lower lip anxiously, stopping and looking around for the man.
(thanks!)
For a long while there was no sign of the Frenchman. In fact, it seemed the whole street was void of any pedestrians at all. They were all tucked away into their houses or late-night engagements. With the exception of, at last, a second man. A pair of heavy boot-clad footsteps turned the corner onto the street. Slow and measured, seemingly without any rush to be anywhere in particular.
(np!)
Jack looked up at the sound of footsteps, biting his lip a little and hoping that it was Alexei. He didn't know what he would do if it wasn't. He had…rather enjoyed the Frenchman's earlier company, and hoped for it again.