Chapter 370: Opera is universally…okay?
=Not everyone thinks as emotionally as you, old friend.=
=Yes.=
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“Pardon me, but is this seat taken?”
“No, but f-uhhh…”
“Whoa, who’s the lady?”
“Don’t know but she’s prettier than any prostitute I’ve hired before. Same with the guy.”
Victor was all set to tell these sudden newcomers to screw off so he could sit in peace, he did not expect the newcomers to be so godsdamned pretty.
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know these-”
“No no no!,” Victor said in a hurry while waving his hands, “feel free to take up those seats if you wish.”
“Oh. Good.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as they were given the okay, the lady and the gentleman with her proceeded to take their seats in the empty chairs next to Victor and his friends.
Sharp and air-headed.
That was the first impression he had of the two individuals sitting next to him.
The woman to his immediate left gave off this vibe that she was simultaneously beautiful but also dangerous as all hell. Victor couldn’t really describe it, but it was if the person next to him was less of a “person” and more like…a treasured sword given human form. Then again, it could be due to the woman’s outfit looking simultaneously luxurious, but also battle-ready.
He swore he saw a sword acting as the main thing holding the dress together, but he wasn’t entirely sure.
As for the man next to the sharp woman, he gave off the exact opposite vibe.
The man felt approachable, safe, but also like there wasn’t a lot up there, very much a “head in the clouds” type of person. However, the man also had a jawline that could best be described as “immaculate”, so…the heavens must have given him a trade-off.
‘They make a hell of an odd couple,’ Victor noted of the pair.
Although, their conflicting auras did serve as a nice complimenting contrast to one another, which increased the amount of attention they drew.
“Ah, I just realized I never shared my name, I’m Victor.”
“My name’s Rachel and this is Sam,” the sharp featured woman replied.
“Hello,” Sam added.
‘Huh…what mundane names for a pair of people who seem to be anything but…,’ Victor thought to himself as he stared at the two of them.
Attraction and the like had never really been in the forefront of Victor’s mind up until now, but there was something about these two that intrigued him.
Of course, if he knew what the thought of him, he’d be singing a different tune.
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[Razor Sis… he’s staring at us. Like those two at…the…cloth shop!,] Spring Brawler noted.
[Textiles, and yes he is…]
[It doesn’t feel as nice.]
[It does not.]
[Ya think the others are doing better?]
[Eh…]
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Meanwhile, at a very different part of the theater…
[Huh…mildly disappointed that Finnigan here is more honorable than anticipated.]
[Just means we don’t have to worry about the entire Pavilion seeking revenge…maybe just Donovan though.]
[True…]
Nepherage, Jasper and Frosttusk, in their disguises of Nicole, Jerrick and Frederick, had taken up their seats in a row directly behind a certain young Wolfe and their master.
The three of them didn’t attempt to try and mingle with these two in the same way Razor and Spring were mingling with their targets, but instead, make use of the fact that Jasper had enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on the duo in front of them.
Now, it may seem weird that Jasper, Nepherage and Frosttusk were spying on the Wolfe scion and his master instead of the dastardly bastards that took Jasper’s sister, but that was actually Jasper’s choice.
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Earlier that evening, Jasper had made the decision that while Razor Maiden and Spring Brawler were to tail Victor and his companions, they, Nepherage and Frosttusk were going to tail Donovan and his entourage.
This decision threw everyone for a loop.
[Wait, Hurricroak, wouldn’t you want to be tailing the beaver guy?,] Razor Maiden pointed out, [aren’t you the one in the body with a beef with that guy?]
[Technically, Jasper here has a beef with the guys sitting next to Victor and that’s the issue. If they see me walk up to them without a care in the world, they might do something stupid or bail,] Jasper explained, [that and the boy and his body want to go and squeeze the life out of them and I’d rather not cause a scene in a theater.]
[Ah. Fair enough.]
[But…why have us… group up…in…such a way?,] Frosttusk asked. Evidently, he was a bit quicker with his words now thanks to how hot and stuffy the theater was, an unexpected upside to shitty air circulation.
[On the chance that Donovan and his master are indeed a bunch of bastards, we need appropriately powerful counterbalances to deal with them. Finnigan may be weird and an old flirt, but he is still an Aether Lord. Three out of five us are only at the Grand Master stage, so we need to be there to suppress if shit goes sideways.]
Razor Maiden was about to protest at the statement of not being able to handle a Grand Master, but stopped when she recalled going up against the Marquis de Howlite with Nepherage and Frosttusk.
Sometimes the better part of valor was caution.
[But with that plan out of the way, time for another costume change.]
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As of this moment, Nepherage and Frosttusk had ditched their butler garbs for more formal looking suits that made them look to be members of upper society as opposed to servants of upper society.
If one were to see them and “Jerrick” together, they would assume the group was a family on a theater outing, with “Nicole” as the headstrong older sister, “Jerrick” the mischievous sibling and “Frederick” as the father.
Ironically, that applied to their relationship outside of the disguised as well.
[Hey,] Nepherage asked her fellow kaijin, [since we can now confirm that it’s only Donovan being the problem child, do you think we should bail?]
[Don’t…think…so…]
[I’m with Frosttusk on this. We don’t know how the situation could change and it would draw too much attention if we just get up and go now,] Jasper elaborated, [besides, I want to hear what this Madam Venus lady sounds like.]
[Really?]
[I may love rock n roll, but I can still appreciate an opera every now and again.]
At that exact moment, as if in agreement with her words, the lights in the theater began to dim, accompanied by the sound of an orchestra warming up.
A second later, a spotlight appeared from above and direct itself into the center stage, where a woman with mature charm and grace stood, dressed in a billowing gown.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice from nowhere announced, “for your listening pleasure, please enjoy this suite of original songs, written and sung by our star for this evening, Madam Venus.”
A polite wave of applause echoed through the theater as the name was said.
Whooping and hollering was a thing for peasants after all.
Once the applause died down, the ochestra was the first to play, more specifically, the sound of a deep sounding cello setting a tune.
At which point, after a few measures, Madam Venus began to sang in the language of Dozing Salamander, Embertongue.
{Love is like a bird, that no one can take. You’ll waste your time trying to catch it. Nothing helps, not bribes or violence…}
[Huh…I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard someone say things in Embertongue, in person at least,] Nepherage commented on the singing.
[Sounds…like…Tide…Tongue…to me…]
[Kinda.]
[Hold the fuck up…I know this song…,] Jasper told the others as soon as those notes hit their ears.
[You do?]
[Yeah…maybe…wait, there should be a chorus part that is them repeating her saying….]
{I still might love you!}
{I STILL MIGHT LOVE YOU!}
[That! Holy fuck! She’s singing Habenera from Carmen!]
[But they said it was an original song she wrote…so she’s plagiarizing another singer?,] Nepherage asked.
[No, not just another singer… she’s plagiarizing an entire another world! She’s from our lord’s world!]
[WHAT?!]
As Madam Venus kept singing, the rest of the audience became more and more entranced by the diva’s performance. The only ones who weren’t however were decidedly shocked.
[Shit…we may have to tell our lord…]
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=It’s not that weird, we had assisted several otherlanders as kaijin lords before, remember?=
=Oh…yeah, okay, you may have a point here…=
=How you know it’s a “her” in there?=
