Chapter 82
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 81
The building they draw up in front of is… Darcy doesn’t really think nice, it’s a building, she’s not much for cages, and that thought surprises her. She loved the bars on her old room, but now she’s looking at that large building with all the tack to make it look better than it has any class to be, and all she can think is that she’d rather be under a thicket with her night friends again.
When she gets out of the cab and actually reads those posters, though, and… it’s a theatre?! Maybe… maybe her husband cares after all? Then she sees that he’s not looking at the entrance, but at the young man strolling out from the entrance and her stomach drops out from underneath the happy flutter she had for a moment there. Of course, she’s not here because he wanted to surprise her with something nice, no, she’s here because he needs his whore.
She wants to growl and scream but then the young man is there and… did her belly just rumble? She has to quickly get her muff up because she can feel the blush on her cheeks. Night, he smells delicious! Maybe… maybe this won’t be so bad. And he’s giving her a hand kiss and smiling at her and… and seems to be talking to her rather than Gregory, and telling her how her husband organised this despite the show being sold out. But they need to hurry, it’s the costume rehearsal and they’re the only ones in the audience, so they don’t want to disturb the crew with being late, do they?
She finds herself shaking her head and hurrying Gregory along on her arm so they can get into the front row. Swivelling her head to catch all the scents, she realises that she’s in an empty theatre and she’s actually going to see a show and maybe that’s worth being a whore after all! Oh, Quincy’s gone, she thinks his name was Quincy. Even if she might misremember his name, she’ll definitely remember that smell!
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Arthur’s only vaguely familiar with this part of town- it’s not the fancy part, but also not the bad part. It’s the very public part hovering between those, so a theatre fits. And, okay, he is kind of curious, and he and Gregory always enjoyed any street shows they could catch, so… maybe this won’t be so bad? At least there isn’t a big crowd in front of the doors. In fact, there isn’t anyone in front of those doors, and as his eyes skim the posters, he doesn’t see any showing announced for this time and today’s date.
But all of that is explained when they’re welcomed by a young man. Arthur blinks, because… because he’s got to be the prettiest person he’s ever seen. He’s all… long lines and even features and everything. But maybe that’s because he’s also wearing the tightest clothes Arthur has ever seen, and also lots of theatre make up, black lines around his eyes, and black on the tip of his nose and on his lips, and whiskers drawn on his cheeks. Clearly, he’s dressed up as a cat of some sort. Maybe a lion, because there is a black fur collar around his shoulders, and his hair is all fluffed up like a mane.
That hair is very, very red. Not brownish red, or blondish red. It isn’t the same shade as Darcy’s, but the intensity is the same. The entrance is well lit with gas lamps, but that blue light makes it hard to tell the proper colours of anything. But the best word Arthur can think of to describe Darcy’s hair colour with is “blood red”, really and truly that shade, and he thinks this young man’s is a bit… cooler? Like it almost wants to go violet or something. But either way- Arthur can’t help but find it suspiciously red.
What would be the chances of running into another dhampir like this? He has no idea. The young man’s hand is a bit cool when Arthur shakes it, but it’s a late November evening and they’re standing outside and he’s not wearing very many layers of clothes, and Arthur doubts the little ruffs of complementing black fur around his wrists and at the tops of his boots are doing a whole lot to keep him warm.
What his eye colour is, Arthur can’t quite make out in the glow of the gas lamps- something light, blue maybe? Definitely not like the intense purple of Darcy’s eyes that looks almost black in this lighting.
The young man ushers them into the theatre and then disappears, and so Arthur postpones any further musings on how to find out whether he’s a dhampir in favour of figuring out how he feels about being the only ones in the theatre. On the one hand, that means there’s no one around to judge whether they got the dress code right, but on the other hand, that means there’s no crowd to be anonymous in, either.
But with the lights on the stage, the auditorium is all shadowed, and they get to sit all the way in the front, and he decides he likes it. There’s a sense of getting a bit of a look behind the curtain, with this being the dress rehearsal as the young man, Quincy, called it.
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They are not completely alone in the audience; Darcy realises the first time she hears a commanding voice from one of the best seats up high along the walls. The private boxes, she thinks. And it’s a comment on how strong a movement should be, that must be the director giving final instructions, right? That’s how this works. She’s only ever read theatre pieces, never gotten the chance to actually see one. And she has to say… there really is no comparison, this feels completely different to just reading what the different actors are meant to say.
The story is familiar, she likes that. It’s a production of Peter Pan, and that explains the lion costume Quincy was wearing, although she thinks it’s a bit silly to put him into that role. He smells so very nice, he should have a bigger role, closer to the audience so everybody can be mesmerised by him.
Or maybe… maybe they knew what they were doing after all, because while the play was interesting from the start, the first time Captain Hook steps onto the stage she has trouble sitting still. He is the most attractive man she’s ever smelled! Even more so than Daddy, but he smells all of… of fur and earth. Her drac wants to do nothing more than jump up there and lick all over him, run out into the night with him, along with that promise of forests and open soil under its paws. Her mind runs off in jealousy at the scene of him kidnapping Wendy. She wants to be the girl taken away from her regular life so badly right now!
First John, now Hook… maybe she has a thing for pirates she didn’t know about, but if there ever was a rake to covet it is this one. She wishes she could talk to him, but he’s so far up on that stage, feels a world away from her, and that makes her sit back more in her chair. Her wedding band on her finger suddenly weighs a hundred tons, Gregory’s grin and eyes reminding her of her helplessness as effectively as only her other contract could.
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Arthur vaguely remembers reading Peter Pan at some point, but Gregory always liked it more than he did- maybe because of the implication that the other kids with Peter are dead, though it’s taken Arthur a while to realize that. He certainly doesn’t remember Captain Hook as anything other than threatening and unpleasant, but this actor somehow makes him way more impressive.
Maybe it’s because he really has that pirate look, with long, wavy black hair and a moustache, or maybe it’s just because he’s a really good actor. Arthur can’t help but pay attention to him, and… well, he knows he’s not supposed to root for him, but he’s, like… an enemy to respect for Peter? He has some kind of foreign accent that only makes him stand out more, and Arthur thinks he does kind of steal the show of the piece.
But it’s really fun to watch, and there’s even flying around- he’s sure there’s wires there, but he can’t see them, and he appreciates the illusion. The whole production is a spectacle in the best sense, worlds beyond what he’s ever seen before, and maybe they should go to the theatre more often if this is what it’s like!
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There isn’t any bowing at the end, so Darcy probably shouldn’t, maybe it’s weird but… but she may not be able to do anything about the contract on her hand, but she can do one thing, use being a baroness to gnaw at some rules a little bit! So she jumps up and claps at the end. This was wonderful and she’s so very glad she could see it without people around.
She just about gets to thank Gregory before Quincy is back, giving her another weird feeling in her stomach and ache behind her fangs. Up close his scent is taking over her mind again after all, but he excuses himself and Gregory, getting them into this rehearsal means he has to have Gregory talk to the owner. Just a little thing, he promises she’ll have her husband back in a few minutes.
Oh, of course, no, it’s fine, she understands. Of course she understands, and the feeling she had before gets shoved aside in her belly with cold anger and worry. She asked one thing of Gregory. Only one thing! But then, she’s here, isn’t she? Maybe that is what “involving her” means. He showed her and now he can do what he wants. Turning away to get back outside with Arthur, her eyes meet Hook’s for a moment and she suddenly feels as if he would listen to her, as if she could be safe with him. But he’s a world away, a world she could never traverse, so she demurely looks away again.
~~~~
Now, Quincy doesn’t really need to talk to Cobb about the rehearsal, but the wife seems pleased and that would make his quest for catching himself a patron so much easier. How far can he go here? Oh, very far. Cobb’s following him like a dog in heat, and isn’t that just the ticket to financial stability? Let him work this idiotic outfit here. He can purr for the airheaded noble with the art-loving wife.
How about it? Wouldn’t he want his wife to always be so happy? He could become a patron. That might even get him a booth for the show later today. See the play as it is intended to be, with the crowd’s cheering and cajoling and commenting. The energy is all different and there’s an after party.
Wink at him, lean in close again, wait, and… oh yes, that one wants him so badly. Quincy shudders under those hungry eyes. Yes, he’s in control here, but also, phew, so much desire is a little bit distracting. But back to his strategy, oh yes, that little reach for a hand didn’t get rebuffed so he reaches fully, intertwines his fingers with Cobb’s and smiles down at him seductively.
Now now, honey, not so fast!
Cobb definitely just tried to cop a feel and that’s not going to fly. He’s an actor, not a whore. But he is getting a good bit of rambled being wanted, so he does the obvious thing, drag the mushy-brained-with-lust idiot off by the hand to talk to the owner. Get him that patron status and get himself hired on fully. Finally! And yes, Cobb is still following after without any protest, nice.
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Arthur joins Darcy in clapping when she starts, though he stays seated for it- seeing as the actors are more or less moving on right after, though they get some smiles and waves their way. And then he follows her outside while Gregory walks off with ‘Quincy’. A cab is easy to find, there’s always some waiting around this part of town, and he helps Darcy inside, takes a seat next to her. “Um, so… that was really fun?” he says while they wait for Gregory to re-join them for the trip back to his old house.
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She wants to gush about Hook and about always having wanted to see a theatre piece, talk about the times she played them out with her stuffed toys, but she feels the mask all the way down to her shoulders, suspecting what Gregory is doing right now, so she just smiles and nods.
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That isn’t exactly an enthusiastic response, but they’re in public, so… Considering that, Arthur lowers his voice. “…Did you notice anything odd about that Quincy guy? Just, uh, well, his hair is really very red…”
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Thinking about Quincy gives Darcy conflicting impulses, she wants to growl at him for being yet another man Gregory cheats on her with, but is that really his fault? And she also wants to grin because he just smells so good, like really nice tea, all florally fragrant and making her mouth water. Which, um, maybe is a bit weird? So she whispers back after thinking it over: “He smells, uh, inviting.”
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Arthur tilts his head, puzzled. “Inviting? Inviting how? Like…” He lowers his voice even more, leans close to murmur to her: “Could it be a dhampir thing?”
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Darcy tells him about the tea association, then tilts her head because she’s really not sure, but admits with a blush that maybe it’s a theatre thing because Captain Hook smelled even better. “So maybe the hair is just coincidence?”
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Arthur has to agree that ‘tea’ doesn’t sound very dhampir-ish. Of course, “…Would you actually recognize another dhampir by scent? I mean… is that just an automatic thing, or would you have to learn what the particular ‘dhampir’ scent is by smelling a bunch of them?”
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“How would I know?” Darcy’s never smelled another dhampir, so she has no clue if there’s a dhampir smell. Internally, she sticks her nose into her drac’s ruff, but of course, that doesn’t answer that question either, oh, drac! Right. “I didn’t recognize Lucy’s smell as what she is, either, so probably not.”
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Arthur nods slowly. “Makes more sense that way, doesn’t it? If I see something I’ve never seen before, I don’t know what it is, either. Or what it has in common with other things of the same kind. So I guess we don’t know whether the hair is just coincidence or not. I don’t think his eyes are purple, anyway? The light wasn’t that good, but they looked more blue or something.”
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“Uh… I was distracted by the smell, I didn’t really look, sorry.” Now she feels sheepish about it, but she just doesn’t really find the world as interesting through her eyes as she does through her nose.
Arthur chuckles. “That’s okay, maybe I’ll get another chance in better light. And anyway… I’m not sure what we’d do with the information, just… just that it would be good to know? Like, if he is and doesn’t know, he could be in danger. If he is and does know, maybe he knows more than us and could share… Also, if he is, that would mean there’s a vampire involved… somehow?”
Biting her lip quickly, Darcy puts a hand in front of her face because if she snorts then she might have to explain it, and she doesn’t want to make Arthur uncomfortable, but really? Involved somehow? Arthur might not like the topic, but please, a dhampir is made when a human and a vampire… well, um, anyway, now she’s blushing and that’s silly! She’s a harlot and a whore! She’s slept with three men! How can she blush about thinking how dhampirs are made?
This is all just silly and can she please stop being so human about this, because now her drac is full on laughing because it’s just that absurd but, oh… oh, that made the mask feel like it’s shrinking back, and that’s just such a good feeling that she hides her trouble not to giggle by hugging Arthur.
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“Huh?” Arthur says, because he has no idea why he’s being hugged all of a sudden. He does hug back, though. It’s not like he’s complaining.
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Still grinning but managing to not giggle from so much as looking at him, Darcy leans back into her side of the cab after a bit, notices her drac looking over and turns to stare right at Gregory’s grin.
“You liked it so much, I got a box for the actual performance later!”
He did what? But she hates crowds! She was so happy that he organized her this show… Why would he ruin it? Oh… Quincy, of course. The mask prickles with coldness against her skin as she looks downwards and sighs, forces out a thanks, then sighs again because that means they’ll have to be in London, doesn’t it?
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Arthur frowns in confusion- hadn’t Quincy said something about that being sold out? “Uh… later?” A look out the window shows him it’s announced for 9 on a poster next to the door. “The one at nine? But…” He checks the time. “That’s in an hour and a bit. It’s not really worth it going back and forth. And also, it’ll be really late by the time it finishes…” He can’t help a grumble. “We planned this day to be relaxed on purpose, you know…”
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Head still down Darcy says that she’ll ask her daddy’s staff. That’s closer. How… how about Arthur enjoys the show? She can set up everything over at Daddy’s townhouse, then he doesn’t have to rush back home after.
Gregory just grins at her, he doesn’t even argue, all his earlier obsession with where she is forgotten, of course. As forgotten as she was when she got him Llew. A spark of anger at Quincy settles into her belly, so cold it feels hot again and she could swear Gregory’s grin is getting wider. He’s just like blasted Llew! Emotions. Shouldn’t his empathy make him help her more? He hasn’t even misused it lately to get her to say things she’s too embarrassed about to say willingly. No, he just doesn’t care, but what else is new.
Calm… calm, down drac. She’s a good wife. She’s an obedient wife. So she paints the smile on her mask harder and tells them she hopes they’ll enjoy it.
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Arthur winces a little at the idea of suddenly imposing on Art’s staff again like this. He slants a look at Gregory. “If you’d let us know about this earlier, we could’ve organised it like this from the start, you know. It’s rude of us to just drop in on Art’s people like this…”
Of course, Gregory assures him that they won’t mind, they’re nice, and Art did say that they could use his townhouse as they wanted.
Arthur is sceptical, but at least they have an address to give to the driver now, so that’s one less person waiting around. “Are you sure about staying in?” He does think it’ll be fun to see the whole production all official-like, in contrast, and without any interruptions at all.
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‘And feel a thousand miles away from the man my drac wants to run to while having to see Gregory make eyes at Quincy?’ is Darcy’s involuntary first thought, which she, of course, doesn’t say out loud. The smile on her mask is firmly painted on, she won’t let Arthur see the nasty growling underneath. She doesn’t want him to be scared of her and think she is being mean to his best friend. He’s far too nice to her to ever show him the anger under the mask.
So all she does is fold her hands in her lap and assure him that it’s far too many people for her, she liked the play as she saw it, and if they are dropping in like that on her daddy’s staff, the least she can do is be a proper lady and stay in.
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Of course the staff at Art’s townhouse don’t turn them away, and say how they’re welcome and not to worry about the change in plans and all… but Arthur’s pretty sure that’s not what they’re thinking. But either way, they get served a quick dinner when they hear that Gregory and he will head out again. There’s lots of apologies about it being a simple dinner, and Arthur makes sure to join Darcy in assuring them that that’s perfectly fine and to please not trouble themselves too much.
And really, it might be simple by noble standards, but Arthur’s had way worse than pie made from yesterday’s left-over roast and mashed potatoes. So when it’s time to head out again, he’s pleasantly full and half-tempted to also stay in for a lazy evening, but… He told Gregory he’d come and also, he is curious.
Quincy meets them again at the theatre, and brings them to the box. It’s high up, so has a great view of the stage in that sense, but it’s a lot further away than the first row was. It definitely feels less… intimate to watch the performance from.
Also, Arthur still hasn’t thought of any way of how to find out if Quincy is a dhampir, or knows he’s a dhampir if he is, and he’s so not good at figuring out how to fish for something like that in conversation without the other party knowing what he’s asking, so he keeps his mouth shut.
But really, seeing him again, and with the theatre fully lit and all, that hair is unusually red. His eyes are blue, though, Arthur’s sure now. So if he is a dhampir, he’s not… fully dhampired? Not… awakened? Like Darcy was before they met her? Anyway, since he can’t figure anything else out, Arthur rather goes to sit by the railing of the box to watch the audience settle in.
Once the show starts, he’s quickly absorbed in it again. It’s weird how it’s the same, but different, just because of the audience and the atmosphere they create. The lines and acting are all the same, except Arthur can spot the few corrections the director called out. And seeing it a second time, he can appreciate more details and flourishes, the acting some of the supporting characters do. It’s fun!
Though Captain Hook steals the show even more, if anything- there’s a noticeable hush that falls over the crowd when he strides onto the stage. Arthur turns to share the moment with Gregory (though feels an odd pang that it’s not Darcy)… and finds that Gregory is gone. Where to or when, he has no idea.
There’s a spark of anger- Gregory’s the one who dragged him here, and now he just disappears? But then Arthur sets his jaw and turns back around to enjoy the show- because he was enjoying it, and himself, and he’s going to go back to that, even if he has to do it alone.
He does pretty well at not letting it niggle at him that he’s sitting here alone. And this time, he does stand up to clap at the end, because everyone else does, and the actors are taking their bows to a big roar of approval. Of course, these are all strangers, and they don’t care for him in the least, but… but it’s still nice to feel like they’re all sharing in something? Even if it’s just a theatre show, and expressing their enjoyment of it?
And then it’s over, and the curtain drops for the last time, and people start to leave. Which puts Arthur in front of the question of whether Gregory is coming back here, whether he should wait for him, or whether he should head out.
He bites his lip, and waits a few minutes, and… really doesn’t like this uncertainty of it, being stuck in this limbo of not knowing.
Thankfully, then there’s a knock on the door of the box, and Quincy sticks his head in.