A Night at the Opera

This time, as Basil waited for her date to arrive, there was a smile on her face.

It was a rare occurrence for her to actually smile, but it was well earned - she didn’t quite know who her date would be other than their name, but what she did know is that they had booked tickets to an opera… an opera! For a regular date, that was understandable, but as a blind date, it was nearly unheard of - unless coming from someone with a love of the art.

She sighed softly as she considered the thought. Finally, she would be meeting with someone who understood. Someone who didn’t speak in loud tones, blink idly as she talked about fine art, or ask who ‘that guy’ was when she spoke of her favorite demonic artists of the century.

And then, she saw him - a succubun with a shimmering appearance, quite literally. Something in her knew, this had to be him.

She approached him almost shyly, something that she wasn’t accustomed to doing. She raised one hand, unsure to approach for a shake, or to simply gesture as she introduced herself. “Excuse me— are you Adagio? I am so excited for our date, thank you for coming.”

Adagio still couldn’t believe he had talked himself into a blind date at the behest of his master. Even now with his head held high as he drew closer and closer to their rendezvous, the demon’s words kept playing in his head in self-imposed mockery. 

This will be your first Matentines, no? Do not be so dull, dear Adagio—partake of the festivities before you decide to hate it. 

Him, dull? He would prove Marchosias wrong. To think the demon would be open to the idea of Matentines was somewhat of a shock, but it was one that Adagio quickly got over as he determinedly reached out to the Church to arrange for one of their widely-regarded blind dates. It was some small consolation, at least, that he was allowed to pick the venue for his little outing…and soon, he would be pleasantly surprised to know that his date was looking forward to said venue just as much as he.

When he finally saw Basil, he smiled, giving her a once-over with lidded eyes as he gently took her hand in his. Leaning forward with a flourish, he gently kissed her knuckles as golden eyes met aquamarine. “And you must be Basil. Please, no need to thank me—to know that you’re just as excited as I am is a pleasure all on its own. I admit I was under the impression that my choice of venue would scare off my prospective date, but it is a joy to see that I am with a woman of refined taste.” To the casual onlooker, it would seem as if Adagio was laying it on thick, but he truly meant it. Maybe this whole blind date thing might not be a trainwreck, after all…

After a brief moment, Adagio began to lead the way. The opera house was not too far from them; in the distance, pillars of black stone and wide panes of glass made up most of the building’s glamorous facade, drawing attention to it. As they walked he asked, “Tell me, do you attend operas frequently? I’ve found it quite difficult to find like minded people with a taste for it. Some have called it too…old-fashioned.” Old-fashioned! As if they’ve all lived long enough to see anything go out of fashion yet.

Basil trailed along behind him, simply taking in everything about her date. Her face was still flushed from the admittedly chaste kiss he had given her, leaving her to simply nod as she followed, and reach her hand over absentmindedly to hold his.

She snapped back to attention when he’d asked a question, though. She laughed dryly. “No… not as much as I’d like to. I tend to work weekends—” She gestured with her other hand, “—And weekdays, too. Every day. Whenever I think I’ve just gotten everything done, something new turns up, and I need to take care of it… I’m honestly glad that I didn’t have to cancel our date before you arrived.”

She sighed. “I guess that everyone has been too busy with Matentines to bother with getting work done, so… at the very least, it gives me an opportunity to take some time off, too. It also means that I haven’t seen this show before, since I haven’t been in a while.”

She smiled back up at him, a hopeful look in her eye. “It’s fine if you’ve seen it before, though. That just means we’ll have all the more to talk about— I mean, I like to think of the symbolism present in these. It’s interesting what you can pick up on after seeing one more than once.”

“‘Tis a shame,” He replied, his brows furrowing slightly. “But I must imagine you are proud of the work you do. It’s admirable to keep such an intense work ethic during such distracting times.” Distracting was an understatement. Even though the opera house they were going to was purportedly one of high standing, Adagio honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they happened upon employees trying to suck each other’s faces off inside. The things he’d seen since the start of Matentines had quickly made him consider heat suppressants so that he didn’t make a fool of himself.

The knowledge that Basil didn’t know about the show they would be seeing seemed to delight Adagio, for his smile grew wider. “No, no—I’m also a stranger to this particular play, but I’ve heard it was one made specifically for Matentines that had a few showings last month. I hear it explores the idea of monogamy during heat, which is an interesting concept, if a little hard to pull off, so I’m looking forward to experiencing it with you. Apparently they rotate out the leading roles to keep the showings fresh. And…” He tilted his head close to Basil as he continued in a lowered voice, “I hear one of the lead male singers for tonight is a castrato. A shame we’ll only be able to hear them sing tonight. I wonder where they found him…?” A mystery for another day, perhaps!

“Really! A castrato…! I only thought demons were capable of that!” Basil’s tail flicked back and forth, an action that seemed a little out of  the ordinary for her. “I’m very excited to see this show, then… concept of monogamy has always been interesting to me. I mean, not personally speaking, but in concept…”

She gestured vaguely as they entered the opera house. It was a large building, built of limestone carved into beautiful artistry - columns and images of buns dancing and singing. It clearly had taken inspiration from demonic architecture, which wasn’t as common in Burrowgatory as one would think it would be.

She continued her train of thought. “The idea of being so devoted to one person that you refuse other options is extremely romantic. The amount of commitment and sacrifice you would have to make is just so…” She trailed off as she realized that in her thought process, she’d let go of Adagio’s hand. She made a quick, if awkward, movement to reestablish the physical touch. “You understand, right?”

She passed her own ticket to the usher at the entrance who was clearly trying to hide his wiggling against his stool, and gave Adagio’s hand another squeeze. “I just feel like so many people forget about romance. Especially at this time of year. It’s all just… lust. Which— I don’t mean that as discriminatory, but—!”

She waved her free hand as she tried to think of the words to remedy her verbal fumble.

“Right? To think a succubun capable of such a feat as well, they must be devoted to the art. I’m sure we’re both in for a treat tonight.” Adagio quickly agreed with Basil’s next words, nodding sagely. “It’s normal to be interested in the unusual. It’s in our nature to love freely…if you could call what the majority of our population does that,” He remarked dryly.

After gaining access to the opera house, the pair were engulfed in a golden honey glow. Above them, mushrooms emitting a shine like that of candlelight sat ensconced in grand, glittering crystal chandeliers, and the soft sound of music could be heard. Tucked away in a corner sat a bun in their doll form, playing on the piano from which the music was coming from. It didn’t take long for an attendant to approach them after their arrival, tray in hand; on the tray were glasses of red and white wine, which the attendant offered to them with a bow.

After taking a glass of white wine with his free hand, Adagio would continue, “I do. The demon who raised me—my mentor—has spoken of romance many times before. Sometimes he would speak of that devotion you mention with unbridled joy. But then there were other times where he spoke of it like the very topic was as bile on his tongue. It’s easy to share your affections freely, but to give it to one and one alone…you’re right, there’s so much commitment involved. I imagine it must be rather hard when you’re naturally inclined to do the opposite.”

Adagio paused to take a sip of his wine, the thumb of his other hand gently brushing against Basil’s knuckles in reassurance. “There’s no need to defend yourself; you’re right. During this time it’s easier to fall into bed with another without knowing so much as their name, but to even think about romance in a greater sense…” As their conversation progressed, Adagio slowly guided them away from the swaths of succubun conversing on the ground floor. Up the staircase they went, towards the private boxes—one of which was reserved for them. 

“But in defense of our base desires, indulge me Basil. Have you ever been able to love one person enough to devote your entire being to them? Have you the time to? You’re such a hard worker, after all.” He playfully prodded.

Her eyes sparkled as he led her - he’d even gotten them a private box! That was no small feat. Their chairs were close enough together that she could even lean a little on his shoulder…

“Not yet,” She said, punctuating these words with a sigh. Although… she smiled at the flattery. “You’re right, I don’t have much time to pursue something like that. Most dates I end up going on turn out to be a one-night kind of thing… both because of time, and because… well, most other ‘buns don’t see dates in the same way I do, I guess. As serious things.”

She moved her hand slowly up Adagio’s, brushing her thumb against his wrist idly as she spoke. “The most romantic place a partner’s brought me has been a coffee shop. Which, I have nothing against them, it’s just… I wish someone I’d been dating for a few months would have somewhere new to show me. Something new to talk about besides work and other people.”

She almost said something else, but she didn’t - instead, she looked out onto the stage, lit dramatically, but still waiting for the actors to begin.

Her unsaid words still hung in the air, though. Something like this.

Adagio hummed in acknowledgement. He wished he could say he was familiar with Basil’s plight, but he himself was much more inclined to doing what most of their kin did. For him, romance was never in the equation; he was too bullheaded, letting his conceit get the better of him until he was of the mind that there wasn’t anyone out there good enough for him to consider such lofty things. It was ironic that he only thought of it now...it was probably because of the alcohol, he tells himself—because the only other option is the fact that he was actually enjoying his date and the conversation he was having with Basil, something that still had him in disbelief even now.

As the opera goers filed into the seats below and the orchestra began to play the overture introducing the performance, the lighting dimmed, commanding with it the silence of the audience. “The show is about to begin,” He said simply, settling more comfortably into his seat. “Let us hope it makes up for your poor dates of the past. If it does, there might be more in store for you soon.”

She hid her smile as she watched the stage with baited breath. The dim glow of the mushrooms along the stage made it sparkle like a fairy circle, drawing any viewer naturally in towards the center…

To which the scene was set.

Traditionally, operas in Burrowgatory typically involve dance just as much as they do singing - two buns bump into each other after walking from across the stage, and share a glance together, before moving on their way, towards other partners. However, the entire time, they continue to gaze towards each other… eventually, you can notice that each of their songs are meant to harmonize together, but are always interrupted by another actor.

It goes on agonizingly like this - the two of them almost reaching each other, but just not quite, sometimes singing from all the way across the stage to each other, the characters unknowing if the other could even hear them. It made Basil’s eyes widen. Although they were just actors, the intimacy of the actions were hard to distance as only an act.

She traced her thumb around the palm of Adagio’s hand as she watched. The couple had finally met in the center, amidst a swathe of other characters - the lovers were both in doll form, while all the others were buns, causing them to be particularly highlighted in a way she couldn’t articulate.

She just realized that the idle patterns she was tracing had accidentally become heart shaped. She quickly moved to simply hold his hand again, half hoping he didn’t notice, while also wishing he did. Would he think it was cute that she was flustered on a first date? Or was it just too vulnerable right out the gate, just like everyone else seemingly was, all the time?

She gave him a firm squeeze, a silent denial of her previous compassion - while also still diverting attention back to herself in the process. Her mind was too muddled to consider that this would be far more noticeable than just holding hands the way they were before.

The opera was riveting. Adagio had said the plot of the show would be hard to pull off, but somehow they did. With a novel story, entrancing dancers, and singing even Marchosias would be delighted to hear, it proved to be well worth their time. Adagio found themselves holding their breath at tense moments, and feeling elation when the duo were finally awarded what they desired most—eachother. Lost in the swell of emotion, he hadn’t noticed the patterns being traced into his palm. Not until she withdrew her hand; the heat from her wandering fingers had imprinted the shape on his palm like a brand, and that pleasant heat spread throughout the rest of him.

It wasn’t long before the show ended. While opera was normally long enough for intermissions, plays shown during Matentines were purposefully kept short in consideration for the heated audiences that would be watching them. As the crowd began their raucous applause and the actors gathered upon the stage to bow, Adagio exhaled softly. He turned to regard Basil with lidded eyes, a smile playing at his lips.

“Well, dear Basil? Was it everything you’d hoped for?” He clasped her hand between his own, an uncharacteristically intimate gesture from him. “I could tell your mind must have been running a mile a minute during it. Perhaps we can extend our date a bit longer and talk about it?”

Basil’s eyes reflected the natural shimmer that seemed to follow Adagio wherever he went. She hummed softly as she glanced down at her hands in his, running her thumb across his knuckles once more.

Instead of responding, however, she pulled him a little closer, leaning in to kiss his knuckles, mirroring the same chivalrous act he had given to her at the beginning of the night.

“I think I’d like that,” She said, smiling. “I hope that you agree.”