Chapter Text
The colourful crowd was streaming into the candle lit foyer of the concert hall, excited chattering filled the air.
Morrigan couldn’t help but gawp at the incredibly mesmerising view of the luxurious interior. Jack next to her seemed unimpressed, as per usual.
Tonight’s opera was specifically suitable for all ages, as Dame Chanda had emphasised several times and therefore she had offered to not only invite her fellow Deucalion entourage to the opening night, but also Morrigan’s and Jack’s friends. They had arranged to meet them before the start of the show so they could sit with them on the main floor rather than in Jupiter’s private box.
The little group handed over their coats at the check room first, then stopped to get an overview.
Jupiter spun around, beaming brightly at all of them, arms outstretched as if he owned the place.
“Isn’t it just nice?” He exclaimed, and Morrigan and Jack shared a silent look of raised eyebrows and sceptical amusement.
The over-boarding enthusiasm of Jupiter on NRE was both embarrassing and contagious. Even in such an extravagant environment he still managed to stand out like a beacon, with his flaming ginger mane and wide smile, not even to mention his perfectly cut 3 piece suit made out of aubergine velvet, contrasted by the glittering golden shirt and dress shoes.
Of course everyone was watching them with either bemused curiosity or recognition and people kept greeting “Captain North!”, “Jupiter, so good to see you!” as they made their way past them.
Luckily neither of his boyfriends seemed to mind that he was the inevitable centre of attention anywhere he went – just as well, otherwise they’d probably have a very hard time, Morrigan mused.
Israfel was himself an impressive appearance, dashingly elegant with his shimmering black wings tucked behind his shoulders like a smooth cape, sporting the slightly aloof and serene expression that meant he was quite content with the world.
Jupiter stopped to offer his arm to Tim, who had been lagging behind a bit. His neat, classic black and white suit that Jupiter had forced on him made quite a difference compared to his scrubs. The golden W-pin gleamed on his lapel, and Morrigan was glad to see that he seemed to have fully recovered from the strenuous events surrounding the Hollowpox outbreak.
Jack rolled his eyes at her exaggeratedly, and straightened his bow-tie, just as he spotted one of his friends from school.
“Sam!” he called over to him, waving and running off. Morrigan grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Jack! You can’t leave me alone with them ! I’ll die of shame before the opera even starts!” she hissed.
Jack freed himself from her grip and smirked. “Don’t be dramatic, that’s Uncle Jove's job. You’ll survive. I’ll see you during the break!”
“So annoying!” Morrigan thought as he sprinted towards his friend without another look back and sighed deeply.
She really wished she’d find Hawthorne and Cadence sooner rather than later.
Israfel must have sensed her discomfort, as he leaned down to her, smiling conspiratorially and asked in his low, melodic voice “How about we go and get something to drink for everyone while you’re waiting for your friends?”
She gladly accepted, and they made their way over to the completely over the top, but absolutely marvellous punch fountain in the centre of the foyer.
Israfel’s physique with his wide wings made it easy for them to wade through the gathering crowd that parted to let them through.
They passed a group of six men that Morrigan immediately recognised as Dame Chanda’s suitors – all of them were huddled around a copy of the programme and swooning over the impressive photos of the star of the show, their beloved grand high soprano.
Israfel and Morrigan’s eyes met for a second and both had to look away quickly to not burst out laughing at the sight of them surpassing each other with compliments for her.
Their way back through the moving masses of people was a little more challenging as they were each balancing two glasses of wriggly purple punch.
They spotted Jupiter and Tim towards the rear end of the foyer where an enormous staircase ascended towards the upper levels where the private boxes were located.
Jupiter seemed to be in the middle of one of his wildly improbable stories, gesturing theatrically, while Tim was watching him with his signature air of slightly bored scepticism and annoyance, that couldn’t quite cover up the tiny smile that creeped around the corners of his mouth.
Morrigan glanced up at Israfel and found him watching them with an amiable expression.
“It is quite nice that I am not the only one who isn’t laughing at his jokes anymore,” he confided.
She snorted. “So… you get along well?”
As a personal rule Morrigan tried to steer clear of inquiring about Jupiter’s complex love life, but Israfel had somehow become a part of their family by now, and she found she did care about him after all.
“Well, Tim and I are still getting to know each other. But yes, it’s going quite well.”
He responded with a shrug that made his wings rustle a bit. “What about you?”
“Me?” Morrigan felt herself panicking a little, “What about me? How I like Tim?”
“No,” Israfel smiled knowingly, “I meant, how is it going for you with...”
He nodded towards the check room, where Hawthorne, Arch and Cadence were just handing in their coats.
Morrigan felt her stomach do a nervous excited flip and the heat rising to her face.
She took a hasty gulp of her punch that made her choke and splutter.
“Chill. Totally chill! I’d better hurry before I lose them in the crowd!” she croaked hoarsely, and rushed off towards her friends.
Jupiter interrupted his lecture to greet Israfel with a kiss on his cheek, smiling all over his goofy ginger bearded face.
Relieving him of the precariously swashing punch glasses and handing one to Tim, he cast him a quizzical look.
“Any news, Izzy?” he asked, raising one meaningful eyebrow.
“It’s chill. Totally chill.” Israfel said simply, with only the slightest hint of sardonic delight.