The evening had been fairly mild so far – not that it was really all that far in, but still. The opera house was crowded, each member of the Wizarding elite more grandly dressed than the last, and – for once, at least – he didn’t feel underdressed[1]. Darian had insisted on one of the man’s more elaborate cloaks adorning the outfit he now wore, and Tapendra was being a little bit too mindful of the price tag he knew was attached to a cloak that was, in effect, rented.

He wasn’t so sure about the boots, though. They seemed a bit…pirate-like to him, but if Darian said they went, well…he couldn’t argue much, could he?

Sasha and Abby had already slipped off for their own box, Tapendra still having mixed feelings about letting the two of them go off on their own – but they’d apparently be in sight of both he and Aileen in Box 2, which helped. He could keep an eye on them well enough, and knew Aileen would probably be doing likewise.

The orchestra was warming up as they ascended the stairs towards the boxes, Tapendra having given Aileen his arm, as was the polite thing to do (as far as he understood it, anyway; he felt he needed to reread his manners books again). The black dress she wore seemed to make her waist surprisingly small, something he felt a little too aware of. He was careful to avert his gaze.

The hallway along the box stall’s aisle was considerably quieter than the stairwell, and he smiled at Aileen as he silently counted. Their stall was the closest to the stage, apparently.

“At least we’re in a box,” he said, as they reached the door. “Would hate to be down on the floor tonight.” The average size of dress worn tonight made the standard theatre seating seem rather daunting, that was for sure.

He reached for the handle on the door, opening it and standing aside to let Aileen in first – pausing and then perking up as he turned to follow her, having spotted none other than Dolly St. James sitting in the box already – liquor in hand.

“Dolly!” He remarked, pleasantly surprised – stepping around Aileen to stand by the author’s chair, hand on the back of the seat. “I didn’t know you were in this box, too. How are you, then?”

1.

Outfit

Dolly was hiding out in the box; there were far too many people who asked far too many questions about the likihood of her settling down and making babies for her to be comfortable making small talk in the entrance way. Also everyone smacked of putting on their happy faces and making nice when they all knew most of them couldn't stand (or had slept with) half the others. Dolly liked parties, she liked charity events, she liked getting dressed up (and tonight she had gone all out[1]), she just hated the air of falseness to it all. She'd been headed straight for the bar when she spotted Kurby and Margo on, what she assumed, was a date and decided that there was not enough Vodka in all of Russia anymore for her to pretend to be nice to Kurby Bagnold and his new girlfriend.

So she was in the box, well before curtain call, the flickering of the lights, enjoying the orchestra tuning and then playing classics that reminded her of a million other nights she had sat in an Opera box, next to her mother or Nora Wiedman. She was on her fourth drink of the night, feeling warm and cozy when she felt someone beside her. Low and behold he was Tappy! She smiled up at him brightly craning her neck to place the obligatory societal kisses on either of his cheeks, "Don't you look dashing! Darian got his hands on you I presume? Not that you don't have impeccable taste Darling, I just recognize a good stitch when I see it". It wasn't until she looked passed his shoulder that she noticed the blonde with him, lowering her voice a little she tease, "Has someone got a girlfriend they haven't told me about"?

Of course it was Aileen Reid, how awkward. Of course it would be decidedly more awkward if Dolly was the one engaged to Aileen's ex-husband, rather than Liadan. She simply smiled at the other woman, "How lovely to see you again Miss. Reid. Is your mother well"? Those were the sort of polite conversation you made when your mother's knew one another because they were stuffy purebloods and everyone new everyone else. Dolly never even talked to her mother; the last time she'd seen her had been for five minutes the night of her Birthday Gala. She could care less about Mrs. Reid the frosty old cow; but one had to ask. Taking a sip from her glass she motioned to one of the servers that passed by, "Feel free to ask Francis for whatever you like; I've already lined his pockets with gold to keep 'um coming. I believe we're sharing the box with another pair of love birds, and I am far too sober for that at this point".

1.

Outfit

Aileen smiled back at Tapendra, glad he seemed to be having a good time so far. He looked more comfortable than he had at the Yule Ball, and she wondered if he was becoming accustomed to the fashionable portion of his closet and the social maneuvering these events required. But Aileen didn't want to push their luck. Once the floor had begun to fill with people, they'd escaped to the quieter seating area.

The box did afford them an up-close view of the stage, and more importantly, the giggle-and-blush twins across the theater. The teenagers had already run off, and though the pair of them still worried her, she'd endure their mother's howlers to give Abby a chance at a normal evening before the Hogwarts term started again.

Letting go of his arm, she thanked him as he opened the door for her, and then paused just inside the box. Dolly St. James! The author lounged in a black dress that looked as though she'd need every ounce of that liquor to keep her shoulders warm.

Aileen's smile turned rather polite at the familiar way Tapendra and Dolly greeted each other.

"Good evening," she nodded, noticing that there did not appear to be hostility behind Dolly's words or expression. Tapendra sat next to her and Aileen sat next to him, leaving two seats open on her other side.

"My mother's well, thank you. She won't be making it to the opera, but I'm certain she'll find some way to catch up on the excitement," she replied neutrally.

While the new alliance between Dolly and Liadan gave her a headache, and she hadn't quite forgotten Bombay's dinner party a year ago, the last thing Aileen wanted to do tonight was squabble with one of Tapendra's friends. She'd at least try to get along, and hoped Dolly continued to do the same.

"Lovebirds?" Her eyebrows shot up. She should have been prepared for that.

Aileen glanced at Tapendra, attempting to gauge his reaction and avoid offending him.

"We merely thought it best to brave the opera together, rather than go it alone and risk unfortunate seating arrangements."

Mostly true!

"We need not have worried, of course," she gestured at her. "Though I may take you up on that drink once the couple arrives."

Attempting a smile at Dolly, she settled more comfortably into her seat.

Dolly’s presence was entirely unexpected and extremely pleasant. He embraced her in return, without much thought about Aileen’s presence or what she might think. He did blush when Dolly kissed him in greeting, however, as he always did. The smile his face bore as Dolly pulled away was wide, sunny, and just embarrassed enough to be in full on dork mode.

“Hardly dashing, I’d say,” he muttered, before latching onto and raising an eyebrow at her insinuation – glancing at Aileen as if to confirm that that was, in fact, a no, and he wasn’t going to lose an arm for admitting the truth a bit too eagerly or something. Thankfully, Aileen made that clear enough without being rude – something he was quite grateful for.

“Nothing so grand as all that, I’m afraid. Just a boring old friendly outing, Dolls,” he said, wondering if he should have been trying to be reassuring – the last year had made the relationship he had with the author a bit ambiguous, at best.
Even so his tone was light and casual, largely because that was how he felt – even if the two women would or wouldn’t get along (it was so hard to tell, with the social network being what it was) tonight so far seemed like it was going to actually be fun. He’d have to hope the opera wasn’t terrible.
 
He looked out over the audience before considering Dolly’s offer, his grin playful more than serious. “And perhaps dissecting this plot will be more interesting if we’re all a bit sloshed,” he said, laughing softly. “Or maybe it’ll make it make more sense.” He looked at his grand cloak as he undid the clasps, folding it with great care and setting it on the seat behind them, safely out of harm’s way – he hoped.

“You’re right about Darian, by the way. Apparently he wanted me to advertise for him.” He rolled his eyes slightly. “No way I could have afforded one of these cloaks otherwise – their price tag is enough to refurnish half my house!”

Darian making them by hand had a lot to do with that, of course.

He came round the ride of the row, sitting in the empty seat between Dolly and Aileen – stretching out and then crossing one ankle over his knee. He smiled at Aileen before looking to Dolly.

“How have you been, then? Haven’t seen you since the Gala,” he asked Dolly, smiling still. “I have to admit I’m a bit glad I didn’t run into your collaborative partner at the Gala, though. She made it very clear at the Yule Ball what her feelings towards me would probably be.”

An easy sort of lie, really; Liadan had done do such thing, but it wasn’t hard for him to guess. And it left Aileen’s confrontation with the woman out of this, which he hoped she appreciated. Either way, Liadan seemed a bit silly to be one of Dolly’s friends – leaving him curious as to how the Gala had actually come about.

My mother's well, thank you. She won't be making it to the opera, but I'm certain she'll find some way to catch up on the excitement

Dolly's laugh was bright, her eyes dancing, "Oh they always do, don't they Darling?!  Though for that generation, I believe their greatest excitement and joy comes from trying to get us all saddled with a brood of squalling children and husbands who are as faithless as theirs," the author sounded rather amused over the gilded lip of her glass, dark curls bouncing as she shook her head. Obviously she'd have enough to drink at this point that whatever little care she might have placed in her words was gone. Of course the faithlessness was not a jab at Alieen's former marriage (Dolly hardly remembered that whole thing, and certainly didn't think it was important or right for people to throw it in the woman's face; she'd met Oz, he could be a right tosser). It was more a mocking of this dying breed of belief; the old ways that Dolly had little stomach for.

Hardly dashing, I’d say

Dolly shifted her eyes to the Astronomy Professor, head tilting a little to inspect him, lips twitching with a small smile, "Always dashing, Darling. Of course your humility is part of the appeal I suppose - don't you think Aileen"? Dolly was feeling quite chatty now, she'd almost forgotten that she was going to be the odd man out at this event tonight. She really should have roped Eli or Jasper into coming with her; or Maiko. She had had such a lovely time with the Hogwart's counselor over Christmas Eve. At the mention of her collaborative partner Dolly arched an eyebrow. What had Liadan gone and stuck her foot in this time? "Did she say something to you Tappy? I swear, it's a cultural problem when I'm the voice of reason in any given situation. Her image rehabilitation is going to be slow going if she doesn't learn to keep her mouth shut".

She reached out and patted Trishna's arm, her smile softening, "Here is the thing one must know in order to deal with Liadan, her words only have power if you let them. Before her spectacular tumble from grace she wouldn't have given me the time of day lest it was to tell me my life wasn't worth living or that I was a harlot. If I got upset or hurt by every terrible thing people thought about or said to me I'd be curled up in a ball on my bedroom floor wasting away to nothingness. I adore Liadan; but I hardly put a lot of stock in her opinions on the character of people. If you put no stock in her thoughts; she has no real influence or power over you. Besides Darian was with you, I'm sure he'd have found a back handed compliment or two for her". Well, he might not have but Dolly still liked to believe he would.

Tapendra, dashing? In the very back of her mind, she privately agreed.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said teasingly, finding their lighthearted mood contagious. “He ought to get used to compliments if he’s going to be ‘advertising’ now.”

She hadn’t considered that it would cost him just to dress for the opera, and she was glad he’d found a way, though his apparent friendship with Darian surprised her. It seemed his ability to get along with almost everyone extended beyond the castle walls.

Aileen looked at Tapendra oddly, missing his point about Liadan at first. Perhaps he was trying to gauge Dolly’s real opinion of the woman without drawing attention to her, or he wanted to prove that Dolly lacked Liadan's penchant for petty behavior. The thought of Tapendra trying to ‘make friends’ between them almost brought a smirk to her face, but so far, Dolly’s sociable attitude seemed genuine, and Aileen was happy to play along. She suspected that Tapendra’s presence helped, somehow.

If only Dolly knew that her reassurance toward Tapendra was meant for Aileen. She glanced at Tapendra as if to say ‘look what you’ve done’. Dolly meant well, and most of the time, Aileen couldn’t take Miss O Morain seriously either. But when Liadan touched on a subject that had affected her so much, not only on a personal level but in society, she felt as though her insults reflected the criticism from her family, from Oz – people whose opinions still mattered to her. No matter how much she pretended otherwise.

If the Yule Ball fiasco was any indication, Miss O Morain had better luck getting betrothed to Oz than she did turning over a new leaf.

Aileen let Tapendra respond to Dolly’s advice, and then she shifted the subject back to the gala as soon as a good moment presented itself.

“Did you participate in the auction, Tapendra? I heard a rumor.” Skepticism laced her voice, even as the thought amused her. She glanced at Dolly. “How in the world did you convince him?”

Copious amounts of alcohol? Flirting? Perhaps she didn’t want to know!

Dolly’s words made him blush deeply, and Aileen’s follow up did not help. He drew into himself, as if he was trying to shrink into the chair. It didn’t help much, naturally. He muttered something that was halfway an apology and fixed his gaze out of the box, scanning the boxes opposite.

He brought his gaze back when Dolly placed a hand on his arm, having kept looking away as they got onto the subject of Liadan. He felt the overwhelming urge to glance at Aileen, but held himself back from doing so; best not to give away too much, and Dolly was excellent at reading him when she wanted to be. He reached up and patted Dolly’s hand.

“Oh, not much – just was, well…you’ve met her.” He grinned and chuckled, softly, the sound a deep sort of rumble. “My usual rule in life is to not let myself get offended by anyone I could accidently trip over. Though I’m not too good at following it, I admit.” The woman’s height compared to his own was certainly funny, if he hadn’t felt slightly bad about it.

“No, she was just a classic ‘smug pureblood’ sort, so I was just a bit lost on why you’d paired up with her for-“
And then Aileen mentioned the auction. He gave her a look that was half terror and half withering, before slumping in his seat.

Though after that naked of a reaction, he couldn’t lie, could he?

“A combination of guilt, old friendships and Darian bloody Morgan,” Tapendra said, darkly, and crossed his arms. It wasn’t a pout, really. It just looked like one.

"Good causes make strange bedfellows darling. I was a bit shocked myself when she asked for my help but after everything last spring it was the least I could do. Mungo's needed the funds, I have a flashy name and reputation," she gave a small shrug. Dolly was in the unusual position of being fully aware how terrible Liadan could be and still not really caring. It was different with Tappy; if she had said something hateful to him there might have been a problem. Despite the fact that he was quite a few years older than her Dolly felt protective of him; whether it was because she had seen how losing Judy had devastated him or because he was so very unassuming of most people she couldn't be sure. In all honesty she worried a little about his relationship with Darian; she'd never say anything of course because it would be passed off as Jealous!Dolly being jealous but it was more than that. It was a bit like a lamb being lead to slaughter. Tappy wasn't the kind of man who could have meaningless relationships - at least from what Dolly had seen.

She felt a little awkward at Aileen's question, clearing her throat, "Well it was hardly as scandalous as some people would make it out to be. It was an option for those who didn't have the money to give something to the cause. It's all perfectly above board - it's not like I expected him to become someone's love slave," there was a short chuckle that followed, ice clinking in her glass as she took a moment to drain the contents, "it's just a nice dinner at Calavera's with a little dancing if his date is lucky. The last time Tappy danced with me it was because I had a broken heart. He's a hard one to get on the floor". Blue eyes glanced at him from under thick lashes, lips twitching up at the corners, as she gave his fingers a little squeeze. "You'll be alright, and if not you can always pop by the flat and get terribly drunk with me after. Unless you'd like me to play spy and save you smack dab in the middle of the night if your date looks like she's getting too touchy and attached".