Updating before work ^^
35
Whistling and leaning against her desk Fleurette shut her eyes. Her head bobbed against her hands as she continued to whistle.
Her happy tune however started to dwindle when she heard foot steps approaching her room. Turning in the chair she frowned lightly as the foot steps walk right past. If she sat quietly she could hear music coming from the bottom level.
Her father had yet again shut himself away in the drawing room to play his violin for numerous hours to come. Not that she minded, her father was a very good violinist. It was pleasant to sit and listen to the music which he played.
Fleurette picked up the book next to her and flicked through it. She was bored. Sitting in her room in near silence was what she used to do before uprooting to the opera house. Being back here, doing more or less the same routine bored her. Fleurette also realized how mundane her life was before uprooting elsewhere.
"Little flower!" Eleanor knocked on the door, "Can I come in?"
"Sure." Fleurette turned and watched the door swing open. Eleanor skipped in and sat down on her bed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing nothing! It is just," Eleanor paused to run a hand through her short curly blonde hair. "No sooner did we arrive back, did you lock yourself up here." She paused, "I merely wanted to know what was so interesting up here for you to not venture out. But now I see you are just sitting boredly at your desk." Eleanor stood up and held her hands out towards Fleurette. "Come, let us go and see Claudia."
"Ok." Fleurette gripped onto her sisters hands and got tugged out of the chair and out of her room. Eleanor spoke rapidly of her excitement tomorrow, Fleurette frowned and gave her a sidewards blunt look.
"You are still not excited?"
"No, why would I be? Knowing full well that father has schemed up this whole escapade for Charles to make his move on me. I've met the man three times now, and each time it's been utterly annoying."
"I was like that with Felix you know. He annoyed me but I knew I loved him as soon as I saw him." Fleurette frowned even more at her words. The urge to say; "You were not the only one." Came to her mind but she didn't voice these thoughts.
"You have high standards. That's half of your trouble I believe."
"What has happened to you supporting me in not getting with someone I have to pretend to love? To suddenly seeming quite up for him trying to get with me?" Fleurette glared at Eleanor, "Get your priorities straight. I'm going back to my room."
"Fleurette I didn't mean it like that! Honestly!" Eleanor ran after her. "I'm only saying perhaps over time you will come to have feelings for Charles. He seems to have some for you."
"Yes that's fantastic! Knowing a near stranger has feelings for me just makes my evening." Fleurette opened the door to her room. "Over time? When exactly, before or after I've been forced to marry him? Answer me that question." Fleurette stepped back and slammed the door shut.
Things were still strange between the sisters, Lucien could clearly tell when Fleurette didn't sit next to Eleanor in the carriage, but instead sat as close to the corner of the seat he was sitting on as humanly possible.
Fleurette was silent like usual and Eleanor seemed to follow suit. Which added to there being something wrong. Lucien didn't know of their argument topic, he just knew there was one. He heard them between opening a bottle of wine and practising. No part of him had the will to tell them to behave, they were old enough to settle their own arguments without him getting involved.
It was at times like this that Lucien's mind wandered to his wife. Adelaide would have intervened with their argument, sat them both down and talked to them both about it.
That's where his wife succeeded in bringing the two up, and where he failed.
The carriage came to a slow juddering stop, Eleanor jumped out and her voice could be heard talking to someone already. Lucien followed afterwards, lingering for a few moments longer Fleurette got out too.
Fleurette ignored the fact that Eleanor was standing happily talking to Felix, who was dressed in a black suit, as far as suits go it was rather plain considering the occasion. He wore a three point hat and a mask similar to a plague doctors.
She just wanted to get this whole ordeal out of the way. The only good thing, which she found a little ironic, about this evening was; she did not know who was who. Entwining her hands in front of herself she looked around. People were dancing smiling happily, some where idly standing by and drinking from full glasses.
The building was abuzz with noise. The music, the people, all the sounds were rather overwhelming.
Erik stood in the doorway for a few seconds surveying the area before walking in and slipping past a group of people who eyed him up. It was a more curious gaze they held in their eyes. The last masquerade ball Erik attended could only be described as; eventful and dramatic.
For obvious reasons he did not wear the same Red Death outfit as he did at that last ball. Instead he walked around the large spacious hall in a Napoleonic military uniform. The wardrobe department back at the opera house had extensive amounts of costumes.
Unlike the common navy blue, his coat was black with a golden border running along the seams. There were six gleaming silver buttons on each side running to stop just above his waist, and each sleeve had three shining buttons. Also rather unlike the normal military uniform, Erik's coat tails trailed down and spilled onto the floor slightly. Looking down at his black trousers and boots he frowned. He suddenly – oddly despite everyone around him – felt very out of place. Amongst the masked people he felt completely alien.
Perhaps because he did not know any of the people coming here unlike the last ball.
Reaching up to touch the dark mask which stopped just below his nose, he looked around at everyone. Walking forward and trying his hand at mingling with a group of people he stopped when a woman flitted past him and towards a balcony.
Excusing himself from the mundane conversation which he had landed himself in he followed the woman.
The woman in red lent against the railing and sighed. "You seem troubled." He spoke simply, she jumped and twirled to look in his direction. Erik smiled a very light smile.
Fleurette stood in front of him, with no clue what so ever that she was talking to him.
In the moments silence Erik took the chance to look over what she was wearing. Despite it all, Fleurette stood in front of him wearing a red dress with a dramatically ruffled skirt. Half her face was hidden behind a red mask with a few feathers attached. Her naturally curly hair had been curled even more. She had the appearance of a phoenix, which was funny considering her despite for red.