Disclaimer: insert something clever about not owning ASOUE
A/N: Just something I've written at about one in the morning. Should I keep going with it? Please review, you darlings! Constructive criticism is highly appreciated! But, I'll still give you a cookie if you review!
The Baudelaire orphans were in the back of Mr. Poe's car again.
As usual, Sunny was between her brother and sister, but in this instance, she was feeling a bit squeezed in. Sunny had grown much, and was nearing third and a half birthday. Not that the Baudelaires celebrated half birthdays, but Sunny felt she needed a little thing to look forward to this coming January.
Klaus's head flopped to one side as he started to doze off. Sunny muttered, "Geroeuf!" which probably meant, "Get off my head, you silly boy!"
"Quiet you," Violet scolded. "We were up all night, remember? Trying to catch the train with Mr. Poe?"
"Psssssh!" Sunny said indignantly.
"We're here!" Mr. Poe said brightly, pulling in front of an elegant theatre.
Klaus snorted as the car pulled to a stop. Sunny giggled. Violet was intrigued…. by the theatre. Not Klaus's snorting. "Where are we?" the middle Baudelaire asked sleepily.
"You are staying in the Glorious Gandillon Opera House with your aunt, Marguerite Laurent, the ballet mistress." Mr. Poe said as he opened the car door for them.
Violet stepped out, Sunny in tow, Klaus after them. "I believe Mother mentioned an Aunt Marguerite once or twice. This may be the only guardian we've had that was actually related to us!" Violet said as they entered the ornate lobby.
Sunny stared, then laughed at one golden cherub stature she had come face to face with.
Klaus picked up his little sister, observing the place. "Yes," he replied, "She was mother's cousin who no one really knew the whereabouts of."
"Mr. Poe?" Violet asked as she sat on a cushy velvet settee.
"Um, yes?" he replied, shutting his pocket watch.
"Why is it now that we're being shipped to someone we're actually related to?"
Poe opened his mouth to answer, but as soon as he opened his pocket watch once more, he uttered a few good byes and good lucks and dashed out the door in a hurry.
As swiftly as Mr. Poe had left, a stern-looking woman stepped in holding a cane in one hand, closely followed by a meek girl in her ballet rehearsal outfit, her hands folded neatly on top of her skirt. The woman had a strict brown bun, her piercing eyes like eagles. The girl's hair was jet black, wavy and hanging loose at her shoulders, her eyes still to the floor.
"Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, I presume?" she began, her voice sharp. The petite girl looked up briefly and winked at the three, before averting her gaze again. "I am your Aunt Marguerite. Welcome to the opera house. My assistant, Sophia, will lead you to your rooms. You will be staying in the other wing of the house dormitories. My room is across from yours. I shall give you a proper welcome when this rehearsal is finished." With that, she exited the lobby through the large wooden doors.
"Don't worry about Mam'selle Marguerite. She'll warm up a bit later," Sophia said with a kind smile, taking one bag from Violet's arms. "I'm Sophia Marie Pickford. I'm not sure if I'm the Prima Ballerina in training, or the Prima Donna in training." She shrugged, walking briskly up the stairs. "Mam'selle's been grooming me for both, I guess. I don't think I'm very good at singing, but the vocal teacher Senor Fortunado says I have some potential if I actually paid attention to what he said during lessons." Sophia smirked.
Violet blinked as she followed the girl up the stairs, wondering how so many words could come out of a person's mouth during such a short period of time. "Oh, um, that's very nice, I guess," she replied, unsure of what to say next.
Sunny eyed the chatty girl warily. She didn't like how she talked too much. She found it a bit suspicious and muttered something under her breath as Klaus carried her. "That's not very nice!" he muttered. "She probably isn't covering up anything. And, she's too pretty to be Olaf, that's for sure." Sunny giggled. "I didn't mean it that way! I was just-"
"Here we are!" Sophia said with a grin, opening the first door with a flourish. "This is where Violet and Sunny will stay!" The two girls stepped into the room, looking it over. It was rather nice. The curtains were a mauve color with blue flower print sprinkled all over it. They both had nice brass beds with sheets that matched the curtains. The wallpaper had pictures of ballet shoes and ballerinas dancing around. It wasn't much, but both seemed satisfied. Violet gave Sophia smile and started unpacking.
"You, follow me," Sophia said, pointing at Klaus, who had picked up his suitcase. His room was slightly smaller than the girls, but it had a desk with a bookshelf full of opera librettos, blue walls, and less frills.
"Are you all content with your rooms?" she asked when it seemed that the Baudelaires were settled in. The three nodded in agreement. "Okay! I'll see you at dinner, then. The dining room is all the way downstairs, in the basement." She glanced briefly at the clock. "Oh! I'm late! Mam'selle said they were doing the Act Three dance sequence in ten minutes! I must go!"
Sophia dashed off, the tips of her Pointe shoes clunking against the long and seemingly endless marble staircase.
"I'm going to look around, Violet. Do you mind? I'd like to check out what our Aunt is like," Klaus said nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets.
"Um, of course. I need to help Sunny change into a nicer dress. This one has a nasty tear in the back." Violet replied absentmindedly as she started sewing the tear.