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The audience roared in applause as soon as Vodyanitsa’s hand fell back to her side. Each row was packed with people who clapped their hands together in unison to celebrate just one of many performances featuring the Prima Soprano, arguably the face of the Korolevskiy Troupe.
Many faces among the crowd were adorned with smiles, while some of them even seemed to shimmer with the tears of joy that trickled down their cheeks at the failure to keep their composure.
The fae laughed softly to herself on stage, getting the most out of all the adorable reactions. She waved back to the masses cooped inside the theatre just to see her, happy to hear their cheers skyrocket.
With her eyes skimming over the array of guests, it was clear her prowess reached the ears of quite the variety. Even then, they all happened to have one thing in common. Everyone here came under the same roof, sharing the same passion for the work Vodyanitsa presents to them under the spotlight.
For that, Vodyanitsa couldn’t be more zealous about. Being someone with a voice like hers, however, the traction was only natural! With that said, given the clear admiration for her efforts, it was about time that Vodyanitsa let all their praise flood in, wasn’t it?
That part was one of her favorite parts of performing here, after all. No matter how vain Odette always considered it to be, that would never let the adoration the water imp reciprocates to all of her fans simmer down so easily! The sentiment is always appreciated.
Descending halfway down the stage’s stairway, Vodyanitsa gestured for the people who were eager to come gather around her, awaiting to be showered by the pleasant commentary and gifts these lovely spectators had to offer. Clearly, the guests had not another moment to waste.
Everyone had rushed over to fill her arms with a pile of bouquets and letters from the flurry of an excitable audience who had been waiting out the entire show to receive a warm thanks from the Prima Soprano who tried her hardest to keep everything bundled together before eventually giving in and calling one of the staff members over to take the load off her shoulders.
Much too focused on the fact that they were granted the privilege to even be this close to the singer, none of the others who were circled around her deemed Vodyanitsa’s quick glances around the room as anything noteworthy.
Distracted by her sweet smile and the enthusiastic displays of gratitude, nobody would have guessed that she was expecting a particular person to be amidst the crowd.
That was good, at least… It wasn’t like she wanted anyone to point that out. How would she be able to explain that in the first place? That’d be absolutely embarrassing! It was a shock to her that she’d already taken the initiative to seek someone out this way, especially since it had always been the other way around.
Suppressing a sigh, Vodyanitsa faced forward for the rest of her admirers to listen in on what she had left to say before her departure. Suggesting that it was about time everyone had gotten a move on, she sent the guests off with that glint in her eye that proved impossible to turn down orders from.
As much as it was a shame to see them go, she really should've been back in the green room as soon as her show was over, in all actuality. Regardless, everyone knows just how much Vodyanitsa loves to leave a lasting impression.
Waltzing through the halls, she reached the theatre’s lounge, waiting for the doors to click shut before turning to the vanity and slightly slumping into its seat.
Despite her success today, it seemed to be an utter disappointment. Regardless of the heap of gifts that lay untouched in the corner of the opposite end, something was still lacking!
It wasn’t like she was ungrateful for being showered in the amount of reverence she received today. In truth, the love that everyone holds for Vodyanitsa’s talent is one of her biggest motivations to keep pursuing this field of work.
The same thing can go for any performer like herself. What would be the point of putting the ripples of past reverie into song if no one would spare a moment to listen?
But… As much as she took all this to heart, Vodyanitsa couldn’t help but feel a little sour over the one thing that felt like a thorn at her side while she was on stage this time. The thought of it was just unbelievable!
Out of everyone in the crowd, there was one person she was looking forward to seeing after the show. She even put in the extra practice to ensure that this certain someone would be in for a performance to remember!
And what does he decide to do after all their discussions of clearing up that busy schedule of his?
Decide to bail, apparently!
The nerve he had, not being bothered to notify her in advance! That Mitya… he never learns. It appeared to be that adding Beneath the Frozen River back into the show’s program for the month never ended up reaching the ears of who she’d hoped for.
Looking up into the mirror after that surge of muddied thoughts, the fae realized just how dejected she looked. This was an uncommon occurrence… The look wasn't too great on her, either. Was she really making that much of a fuss over something like this?
Her hands habitually lifted up to curl the ends of her hair between her fingers as she wondered about everyone else. Perhaps they were seeing better days…
Odette had left the Korolevskiy Theater in a hurry, perhaps in a hurry for some of those grand missions of hers. When does she ever plan on catching a break?
As for Alyosha, he must’ve been busy helping others move the props back for some time already. Didn’t he say that there were some issues he had to resolve back at home right after the concert?
Meanwhile, the Traveler was obviously out of question. What a busybody they were!
Vodyanitsa’s mood had started to improve the minute she was reminded of everyone living their own lives, recalling it all made her think of just how funny it was to imagine the others scrambling about.
It also reminded this water imp that her problems at the given moment were quite small.
When put into more consideration, Mitya must’ve been called up for some unexpected work. No matter how much he insisted his schedule would be clear for today, it was always a surprise when it came to a profession as honorable as his.
That was something neither of the two could help at the end of the day.
Be that as it may, it was annoying with how powerless she felt against the situation… As she propped an arm on the vanity’s wooden top to rest her head, Vodyanitsa heard a knock on the door behind her.
“It’s open, come in!” The performer called out, assuming that it had been a staff member with how long ago the spectacle had already been over.
There was a few seconds of hesitation before a familiar voice chimed in.
“Someone wanted to see you and praise today’s show,” Alyosha remarked bluntly, his voice hardly loud enough to be heard through the muffling behind closed doors.
Really now? It'd already been some time since the whole thing had ended. It was rare for anyone to come visit this late. It was often due to the staff being strict with individuals who tend to loiter around, so what would Alyosha be doing with them?
It’s not like that mattered. Vodyanitsa wouldn't ever turn down a dedicated fan! They must've had to go through quite the wait, let alone even being personally escorted here by such a diligent worker!
Hopping off of her chair, she rushed towards the entrance and opened the door for them, only to be met with no Alyosha in sight. Instead, there was a bouquet of flowers blocking the view, abruptly being shoved closer to her face.
“Hey, can you cut that out?” blurted out another person in a panic.
Immediately, the arrangement of flowers was lowered down, the paper of its wrapper giving way to crumpling as the rightful pair of hands grasped onto it tightly.
There, Mitya stood, while the extra company of that eccentric scarf of his was waving at Vodyanitsa excitedly. The scientist’s facial expression made it way too clear that he was well aware of how much he disappointed the star of the theater’s most recent performance.
So although the two of them were standing face to face, Mitya’s eyes didn’t dare look into hers.
“Miss Vodyanitsa! I can imagine you find this to be quite a surprise,” Mitya started, finally allowing Vodyanitsa’s gaze to meet his own.
The singer only huffed with discontent and placed both hands on her hips, raising a brow at that attempt of a greeting.
“It was more of a surprise to not see you in the crowd when you swore that you’d get some time off today!” Vodyanitsa exclaimed, still grabbing for the bouquet despite her annoyance.
“I didn’t just make any kind of addition to the program, you know! I thought you favored some of these selections.” With a flick of her hand brushing loose hair past her shoulder, Vodyanitsa wrapped her other arm around the gift while glaring at Mitya.
Deciding to pull off this kind of stunt left her expecting some form of explanation that could actually put one at ease.
“W–Wait, no, no! I promise I actually showed up!” The scientist said, clasping his hands together with a bashful dip of his head.
The scarf who remained behind him started to playfully poke at the back of his head, implying there was a bit more he had to say to paint the bigger picture.
“Albeit not in the most conventional way…” Mitya admitted.
“I, uh, got caught up in some research last minute. I mean, I was able to make it, though! Right when you started, in fact.” He said, a smile of relief spread from one end to another, as if he were experiencing the moment he recalled all over again.
The sentiment was… sweet, she supposed.
But…
“That doesn’t make much sense, Mr, Mitya… How would anyone else get in if it's the second I start? Even if that were the case, surely, someone would’ve stopped you!”
Vodyanitsa’s expression grew pensive, her eyes squinting with a sneaking suspicion of any flaws in Mitya’s little story. Then again, he really isn't that kind of person. There’s no way somebody with his brains would craft up a fake story and expect to get away with it.
“You’re most certainly right about that,” Mitya mumbled. “But I didn’t happen to run into just any troupe staff on my way here.”
With a grin, Mitya left the rest of the puzzle piecing up to Vodyanitsa while his scarf repeatedly pointed towards the end of the hall laid out behind it. Suddenly, things made a lot more sense.
Vodyanitsa’s eyes widened a little, surprised that Alyosha would’ve taken the risk to let Mitya in during the beginning of a show just like that. The two of them may have gotten along well, but she hadn’t expected that kind of act from someone in his position.
“Oh, Alyosha… He could’ve gotten in some serious trouble!” Vodyanitsa clarified, lightly shaking her head in disappointment.
The look on that scientist’s face seemed to show his confidence wavering, his smile turning down a little as he winced while looking at the situation in retrospect.
“Yeah, I was initially going to reject his offer…” He fessed, crossing his arms.
“I couldn’t let him cross the line just because I wound up arriving too late. I’d be just fine receiving another earful from you right after the show. I mean, that’s what I told him anyway.”
Mitya looked back at the bouquet in the fae’s grasp for a brief moment, then brought up a fist to his mouth as he sheepishly cleared his throat before proceeding on with the alibi.
“Shortly after that, I guess he caught a glimpse of the flowers and assumed it was a rather special occasion…”
Vodyanitsa blinked. Just who did this guy think he was?
If the signs weren’t obvious enough, they definitely were now.
Mitya’s face ended up looking just as pink as the roses he’d gifted to her, there’s no way he figured that he was being discreet about this. So why he even bothered to try and beat around the bush was beyond her.
In no way was this something to complain about, though. Vodyanitsa huffed contentedly upon realizing that things were finally starting to look up from her previous dilemma. All of it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make this into a little game.
“Well, he catches on quickly!” She replied, a giggle following soon after.
“You hardly strike me as the type to bring us flowers, Mr. Mitya,” the mischievous sparkle in her eyes only shined brighter as she noted the obvious. “So if this doesn’t get the message across, I really don’t know what else would.”
The water imp brought the flowers closer to her face, taking in the beauty of each and every spiral of petals.
“I tried to make this a special occasion myself, since I thought you’d be coming today.” Proudly placing a hand at her hip, she glanced back up at the flustered boy in front of her.
“I brought back a couple of the classics you mentioned the first time we got to arrange a meeting in the diner.” Vodyanitsa proclaimed, her usual cheeky smile widened in hopes of getting to talk about her feats like before.
“I even had the creative liberty of–”
“Putting a spin on the interpretation?” Mitya surmised, essentially finished the sentence for her.
Wow, turns out that he really did have a knack for noticing these things. Although she wouldn’t show it, she was overjoyed at the details he managed to pick up regarding some of the pieces sung today.
Impressed by his intuition, Vodyanitsa took a few steps closer to the scientist to see if she could get a little more out of him. Although he was surprised by the sudden approach, Mitya made no effort to recreate the space that was once between them.
Taking her silence as the reaffirmation to the answer he sought, his tense shoulders relaxed as he no longer anticipated another lecture.
“Glad I wasn’t just hearing things,” he breathed, a sigh of relief slipping from his lips. “It’s been some time since I’ve been able to hear these songs, but it’s amazing to see just how many changes I’m able to discern each time I get to put some time aside and listen to you.”
With a chuckle, he finally came to a conclusion.
“You really are something else, Miss Vodyanitsa.”
Mitya’s eyes softened, not looking as tired as they were before. Whether it was from the unexpected workload that kept him held up, or exhaustion from the jog to the theater, all of that had seemed to dissipate the moment he got that off of his chest.
If this were any normal evening, Vodyanitsa would’ve told him to switch up the wording to make the compliment actually sound like one. Just saying “something else” wouldn’t cut it when it came to flattering someone like her!
…
She could make an exception for tonight, however.
It was clear that Mitya meant this with all of his heart, because the truth had already spoken volumes. The real meaning of those words he couldn’t quite bring himself to say had already bubbled up to the surface, and that was enough for her.
He hadn’t even realized how long he’d been staring with that evident admiration in his eyes, but he seemed to snap back to his senses when Vodyanitsa unexpectedly took his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.
That scarf merely gave him a pat on the back, hinting even further that he’d made this interaction more prosperous than he ever anticipated it to be.
“Then, let’s talk things over, shall we? I’d love to hear you go on and on about what you were able to learn through my performance today,” the water imp prodded.
“You can’t back out from this, by the way. Consider it a formal invitation from the Prima Soprano herself!” She paused, not wanting herself to come off as too overzealous.
“Perhaps a favor you owe me, too. I really thought you turned me down today, you know!” She teased, observing how Mitya seemed to feel guilty all over again.
“I’m sorry about the whole thing, really… I wouldn’t go back on my word just like that!” Mitya blurted out, afraid that he’d landed himself in trouble too soon.
Vodyanitsa only laughed in reply and tugged him forward as she made her way out through the door frame.
“You know I’m only kidding, right?” She inquired, surprised by just how clueless someone as smart as him could really turn out to be.
“Come on, let’s go, Mr. Mitya!” The performer urged, the bouquet of roses still clutched in the grasp of her arm. “Let’s go right now! I’ve been meaning to get a fulfilling means of celebrating today’s accomplishments, and you’ll be the one keeping me company!”
“I don’t suppose this’ll end up being another one of those quizzes of yours, would it?” he questioned meekly, shockingly hesitant considering his field of work.
“Hehe, not for too long, anyway. I’d like to make tonight’s dinner about us this time around.” Declared Vodyanitsa, leaving no room for objections.
There was absolutely no retaliation from Mitya’s end, and so the girl signaled for him to close the lights and let the door shut behind them.
The unopened stack of gifts had been left behind in the dark of that room as the two lovers headed for the moonlit plaza, but Vodyanitsa had gotten a hold of something much more valuable.