(it's okay! I get it lol)
Elizabeth watched Francis from the corner of her eye for a moment, then looked at the stage. While it was true that she was very similar to her sibling, she was also different. She wasn't nearly as flirtatious or inappropriate as her brother could be.
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Even with his thoughts mainly focused on Elizabeth, they also trailed to Jack again. The awkward hug, the violin, and the strange moment of vulnerability. However, surely he was off making out with the guy they met in the lobby. He couldn’t help grimace at the thought, concealing it as best he could. His eyes darted back over to Elizabeth. The sensible one.
Elizabeth was quiet, her hands folded in her lap quietly. She might have looked like a female variant of her brother, but their personalities were far different. Jack was the flirt, the outrageous, scandalous, wild one. The one that got beaten by their father. She was the quiet one. The reader, the introvert. The one that only received smiles and praise from their father.
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Francis felt bad for Jack. He reminded him of his brother, and he hated the thought of anyone being beaten by their own parent. He admired both Jack and Elizabeth for different things, but he knew it would be more acceptable—for everyone—if he more openly admired Elizabeth, and stifled any empathy for her outrageous brother.
Elizabeth waited as the production continued. She did not, perhaps, understand every word being said, but she understood enough that she understood what was happening within the show.
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Francis stared at a specific part on the stage. As much as he tried to follow the production, his mind always trailed other places. Most often it was stirred by certain words in the song’s that reminded him of something else. He counted the minutes until intermission. Or he hoped it was minutes.
Eventually, it was intermission. Jules got up, stretching. "It is intermission now." he said simply. "If you would like to go out to the lobby or use the bathroom, we can."
Elizabeth gave a soft smile, getting up and smoothing out her skirts. "I think I am fine for now, but thank you." she replied.
(bump?)
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Francis stood up beside her, checking his pocket to make sure his sketchbook was still there. He exhaled a brief sigh of relief as he felt the rectangular form in his right pocket. He turned to Elizabeth. “Do you think it will be worth finding your brother? Or would you suggest just leaving him be until the end of the show?”
Elizabeth studied Francis for a moment, thinking. "I think…I think that my brother can take care of himself." she replied carefully. She had no wish to speak of her brothers…shortcomings…even if she knew that Francis was likely already aware of them. "He shall be fine, I'm sure." Probably has his tongue buried in some other man's mouth already. She thought bitterly.
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Francis nodded absently in reply. His mind returned to the man Jack had met, and disappeared with just before the show started. He had either gone to sit in two separate seats and watched the show together, or had gone to use the doused lights as a cover and ignore the show entirely. Francis was almost certain it was the latter. “Alright then. I’ll just take a short walk.” He supposed it would be nice to walk around after sitting for such a long time.
"Would it be alright if I were to walk with you?" she asked, hoping she wasn't being too forward. She needed to stretch her legs, but she was also supposed to have an escort at all times, and she didn't want to ask Jules, since she hardly knew the boy.
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“Of course,” Francis accepted warmly. He’d hoped she’d be willing to, and was delighted when she asked for herself. “Where would you like to go? Perhaps to the lobby and back?” It would be easiest for him not to get lost in a path Jules already led them. But then again he wasn’t too worried about getting back on time for the show; it wasn’t very interesting anyway.
Elizabeth shrugged just a little bit. "Oh, either one would be fine. Thank you." She replied, giving him a soft smile as she stood, smoothing her skirts and then looking at him again.
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“Well, then to the lobby we go,” Francis lifted his chest happily and offered his arm out for her to take. It might have been a stretch because they hadn’t known each other beyond a few days, but he wished so badly to be a gentleman to her. He found it was so much easier to talk to Elizabeth than to her brother.
Elizabeth took his arm with a smile and a nod. "Alright." she replied, standing beside him as they walked to the lobby. She wished her brother could be more like this. A gentleman that wouldn't dream of kissing another man, much less the things her brother often did.
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Francis returned the brief, genuine smile, guided her out of the box, and into the hallway. He eyed the few couples milling about, walking to and from the bathrooms to their boxes. “So, how are you liking the performance so far?” He asked while they continued walking.
"I don't know. It's interesting enough, I suppose, but I've never been a huge fan of the opera." she replied with a shrug. And unlike Jack, I have no desire to find other entertainment in other people's bodies. But she didn't add that out loud, knowing it would be a highly inappropriate thing to say.
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"Nor have I." Francis agreed with a bob of his head. "I like to think of myself as interested in all of the arts, but I never have been able to decipher the plot of operas enough to be very invested in the story." While he walked, he kept an eye out for Jack—only out of curiosity to see if he was walking the hallways as well.
Elizabeth nodded. "I would probably understand it better if I had a better knowledge and understanding of Italian, or if the operas themselves weren't nearly so long as they are." she glanced over at Francis for a moment, shaking her head. "But Italian is not a necessary language in most day to day life, so."
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"Indeed it isn't," Francis returned the brief glance over to her. "If I had known I would be attending so many operas in my life, I would have insisted to my tutor that she teach me Italian as well as more than basic French. Those two languages seem to come in handy at the most strange and importune times," he chuckled. "But by the laws of chance, if I did speak both of them fluently I would never need them."
Elizabeth let out a laugh, smiling a little and nodding. "Yes. My father wanted Jack and I to learn French…I was the only one that bothered. My brother only knows how to say…things I will not be repeating." Her mouth pinched slightly.
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Francis couldn’t help but let out an unattractive chortle at that. “Honestly, I can’t see it any other way. Of course he would only care for those words. People learn about what they prioritize, hm?” He shook his head in bewilderment, and continued to softly snicker.
Elizabeth wondered for a moment if she should not have shared that. But it was too late to pull the words back now. "Yes." She replied simply, shrugging a little bit.
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Noticing she didn't find his comment very amusing, Francis bowed his head slightly, catching his lip between his teeth. Surely he'd said something wrong and he ruined the mood. He remained quiet for a few more yards down the hallway, at least until he thought of something to change the subject. "Are you looking forward to the boarding school?"
She snorted a little bit, a rather unladylike sound. "Not very much, no." she replied, shaking her head a little bit. "They are just going to teach me how to "be a lady" or something like that, I believe."
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“I see.” Francis chuckled at that, but not for very long. After his last bout of laughter didn’t seem to well received, he made sure to check his humor. “That sounds dreadful.”
She shrugged. "I'm sure I'll survive it." She replied, letting out a soft breath. "After all, it isn't as if I'm going to be fighting anyone."
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“Hm, this is true,” Francis agreed with a faint hum. “I wish you all the best there. Oh, and that you won’t have to fight with any of your peers.”
Elizabeth's mouth quirked a little bit at that. "Thank you." she replied, looking up at Francis for a moment. "I hope I will not fight them either."
