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Chapter 6: The Problematic Party
"Brava! Brava!"
The small crowd of aristocrats applauded as the cast gave their final bow. The crew stood in what could only be described as a small palace. It was an elaborate home of marble and gold with an outdoor villa facing the mountains. It rested above the city on a small plateau. The chieftain's home was luxurious in every detail, though completely foreign to the European travellers.
After their performance, the ballerinas were pushed into a spare room where they changed quickly. Madame Giry stood guard, more concerned about two particular chorus males walking by than any Persian nobility.
"That was electrifying!" Jammes squealed as she helped la Sorelli tighten her corset.
"By far our best performance." Meg cheered.
"Oh I was so worried I would be out of step. That hall was just too beautiful to focus." Christine giggled.
La Sorelli playfully wrapped her arms around her friends. "Tonight, we celebrate."
The five women walked into the outdoor villa, joining the aristocrats and other cast members for the elaborate party. Christine tried to straighten the front of her simple blue dress, wishing she had packed something a bit more elegant. The women around her wore colourful gowns, a mixture of the upper class style she had seen in France and the loose clothes of the common folk in the city. Instead of the tight sleeved gowns, she admired the wide, golden coats that covered their silky petticoats and frocks. While her hair was pinned up completely, theirs was loose at the back and covered in silks or jewels.
Yet, Christine realized that no matter how plain her dress, she was not the most conspicuous. Of course, Carlotta came overly prepared for the evening. She sported a wide scarlet gown with gaudy diamond jewelry. As she walked down the main steps to the villa, both she and Piangi had to reach to hold hands without him stepping on her bustle. It was so wide, in fact, Christine felt as though it was like a spotlight had followed her here from France. Carlotta and Piangi smiled brightly as they walked to the center of the villa. They laughed and grinned while the local Chieftain and nobility showered them with compliments on their performance. The girls snickered as they walked by.
"Wine, mademoiselles?" A young waiter asked.
"Why thank you, monsieur." La Sorelli replied with a flirtatious grin. She helped each of the women grab a glass and then gently tapped them together.
"Cheers to a long, successful journey."
"Cheers!"
"Now, which of these fine gentlemen do you think is the chieftain's son?" Sorelli teased.
"You have no shame, do you?"
"Is that jealousy, Meg? Come now, that is beneath you."
"What about the man with the hat that looks like a peacock?" Christine giggled, nodding towards a younger man to the opposite end of the pavilion.
Jammes snickered. "Oh Sorelli, if it is true then I implore you to stay with the Vicomte."
"Do you think he speaks French?"
"Oh Christine, he doesn't need to speak french to understand my intentions."
Meg lightly slapped Sorelli's arm. "Shameless and hopeless." She laughed.
"Are we talking about Sorelli?"
The girls turned to see Louis and Gabriel approach behind them. Both looked dapper in their black suits, their light hair combed back for the first time this entire journey. They approached the two women from the back, skillfully avoiding any form of confrontation with Madame Giry, who stood a few feet in front of them. The group hid in the back corner of the villa, none of them comfortable or familiar with this type of party.
"You think I am hopeless, Gabriel?"
"A hopeless flirt." He smirked. "How are you enjoying your wine, ladies? Anyone care for another?"
"I may need some to survive this night. What party has no dancing?" Meg sighed.
"You just finished dancing." Gabriel moaned.
Meg took a sip of her new glass of wine. "This may come as a shock to you, but I enjoy dancing."
"Yes, but who would you dance with? Louis will dance with Jammes and that leaves only me as your alternative. But alas, I couldn't leave Christine or Sorelli to themselves. You'd be out of luck."
Sorelli scoffed. "You need not worry about me. Dancing with you would be a last resort."
"Oh really?" He humoured. "Then who would you dance with?"
"I am sure there are other eligible bachelors waiting nearby."
"Yeah like Bastian?" Louis chuckled. Jammes elbowed his ribs, though a small grin emerged in the corner of her cheeks.
"Buquet's partner in crime? I think not. I am sure if you left me in peace I could find someone suitable."
"You know who you won't find." Meg interrupted. "Our mysterious managers."
Christine furrowed her brow. She searched and listened for the extravagant managers, but could not find them either. They introduced the opera before it began, detailing the history and prestigiousness of the Opera Populaire. They had thanked the cheiftan for his hospitality and then dissapeared behind the set. This was common, but they usually returned afterwards to congratulate the crew and shower the audience with thanks. If it wasnt for the hustle of the after party, their absence would have been noticed muched sooner.
"Now I think of it, I haven't seen them all night." Christine wondered aloud.
"Who cares." Gabriel replied flippantly. "We have more important tasks at hand."
"Such as?" Jammes asked.
"Well, we heard a rumour that the Chieftain has a room made of gold." Louis murmured, leaning in closer to the group. "Gabriel and I are skeptical, of course."
"But we did hear this from a reliable source."
"A reliable source? Who?" Jammes asked.
"Shh. That would be telling, Jammes." Louis teased.
"A room made of gold? Don't be absurd."
"Don't believe us? Well then, we will have to settle this." Louis grabbed Jammes hand and pulled her away from the group. "Come on!" He called to the others.
Gabriel chuckled and followed quickly behind. The three stunned ballerinas chased after them as discreetly as possible. "Where are we going?" Christine hissed.
"To the golden room, of course."
Christine stopped her two friends. "I don't think this is a good idea. We are guests."
La Sorelli rolled her eyes. "No one will miss us anyways. Come on, where is your sense of adventure?"
Christine fidgeted uncomfortably. "But what if we get caught?"
Meg pulled her forward. "Then we play dumb and say we're lost looking for the lavatory."
They finally caught up to their friends near the main entrance of the palace. The group walked through an extravagant pointed archway out of sight of the staff and other guests. Covertly, they opened a large mahogany door into a large room. It was filled with paintings and sculptures separated by large marble columns. The group dispersed, all curiously examining the beautiful and foreign artwork around them. Christine remained in the center and gaped in awe at the half circle ceiling above them. She tried to decipher the symbols and shapes that covered the colourful background. Her neck ached from craning her head too far back.
"I am not seeing any gold. Looks like I won this debate." Meg snickered.
"This is only the first room, little Giry! Be patient." Gabriel countered, mimicking the warrior stance of a nearby statue. Meg giggled.
"Christine, hurry up!"
She dashed forward, casting one last glance at the beautiful room.
"I wonder if we will find the chieftain's harem."
La Sorelli scoffed. "I don't think those things exist."
"Oh they do! Louis read all about it."
"Jammes, why are you so gullible? Were you isolated as a child?"
"Hey! I may be roguish but I am not a liar."
"Are you sure? I didn't know you could read." Gabriel cajoled.
Louis feigned a gasp as he slyly wrapped his arm around Jammes's waist. "Et tu, Brute?"
Her friends' conversation began to fade again as Christine's eyes were drawn to an enchanting bust that stood in front of a elegant tapestry. It looked more like a mask of a man's face dangling on a tall, thin hook. It was as black as the midnight sky yet ominously alluring. The mask itself was terrifying as it depicted a grotesque and pain ridden expression. The man's mouth was twisted open like he had been screaming and his eyes were wide empty holes. But the detail on his sharp cheek bones and wrinkles were astounding. Despite its eeriness, Christine felt enraptured. She stepped closer to it and looked through the hollow eye sockets, trying to see the details through the mask. What wonders lied through those hollow eye sockets, she thought, as she admired the beauty of the tapestry within.
A strange noise halted her admiration. Quickly, she turned to the door behind her and held her breath. That noise was a series of voices. Was this the chieftains guards? Or his secret harem? The door they had entered was just barely cracked and whoever was speaking was on the other side. Their voices grew louder as they walked through the hall. Christine snuck forward, using great effort to silently step across the tile flooring. If she hid behind the door, they may not see her when they entered. Or maybe, she wondered, they would walk past the door and continue down the hall? She stopped behind the door and listened carefully, her curiousoty intensified. The two voices definitely belonged to men. At first she thought she should run to the end of the hall and warn the group that someone was looking for them, but then she listened a little more carefully.
They were speaking french.
"That is everything you have?" A strange voice asked.
"Yes, Monsieur. It filled an entire wagon and each box is packed." This voice Christine recognized as Firmin.
"That is a considerable amount considering you have such little demand."
"Ah well we didn't want to run out in case there was a sudden upsurge, of course." Firmin seemed uneasy, though his cheerful tone quickly returned. "Are you quite certain you wish to return so soon? I am sure André will still be with the Chieftain-"
"Delaying the inevitable will not make this any easier for you, Firmin. Stop wasting my time!"
Christine nearly gasped at the darkness of his voice. It was chilling albiet smooth like a dark whiskey. As much as she wanted to flee, a part of her felt rooted to the tiles below her. A shiver crept down her spine. The more she though about it, the more she wanted to escape. As silently as she could, she turned and tip toed back towards the group. They were at the end of the hall. She held her breath in hopes of making it to them before she was caught.
"Megana Giry!"
Christine jumped, her hands covering to mouth to hold in her squeal of shock. Her friends stood petrified at the end of the hallway, peering down the corridor to their left. Although she could not see Madame Giry on the other side of the corner, the terrified look in her friends' eyes confirmed she was there.
"Where have you all been? You have been invited to the home of a Chieftain and you return his hospitality by snooping around his home?"
"No, Madame-"
"Silence, Gabriel! We do not have time for your pitiful excuses. All of you, go to the main entrance. We will discuss this later. Our carriages have arrived and are waiting for you."
With their heads down and their cheeks aflame, the five of them ran past Madame Giry towards the main entrance. Christine hesitated, waiting with bated breath for her ballet instructor to round the corner and set her fiery eyes on her. Instead, she was shocked to hear her footsteps fade away as she followed her friends.
"Christine?"
Christine yelped. This time she was unable to silence herself. Her hands instead covered her chest above her frantically beating heart.
"Shh! Be quiet!"
She turned and sighed with relief. It was not the owner of the strange voice that had found her, but in fact, her other manager. André stood before her, his lone finger over his mouth. He leaned out of an old door across from the mask that Christine had brushed off as a storage closet. He motioned her to come closer.
"Christine, are-are you alone?"
She didn't like his distressed tone. "Yes, monsieur."
He quickly reached into his suit jacket. His wide eyes scanned the corridor before locking back with her own. She watched in confusion as he held out a small, rolled up piece of parchment towards her.
"My dear. I am terribly sorry, but I am afraid the fate of our opera rests in your hands once again."
Guest: I am glad you are liking this! I do have plans for them to meet soon, but whether he will be able to protect her or not is a mystery for now... (tee hee)
Cotesgoat: I will definitely explain more into these characters backstory, though I will admit it will be pieces at a time. BUT I plan to give more with each chapter from here on out, so it shouldn't be too long until we have the full picture.
Reddeath92: YOU'RE WELCOME