#eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

A letter is slid beneath the entrance doors of the Opera House in the early hours of the morning, addressed to its one and only leading lady. Upon opening, it reads:

'Dearest Maria,

Perhaps you and I have started off on the wrong foot. It is not in my nature to bear a grudge against a lady for so long, no matter how terribly she may have wounded my ego. For that, I apologize, though I am sure you can understand my reasoning. 

Should you wish for an opportunity for this gentleman to start afresh with you, then he shall be waiting for you outside the Opera House this evening at eight o’clock sharp.

I trust that you have recovered well enough since your incident with Mister Gabbiani that you might accept my invitation for dinner this evening. Do try to wear your most stunning outfit, for this man is only one who shall accept the very best dining arrangements, and he wouldn’t wish for you to turn up under-dressed.

Yours,

- Your handsome admirer.’

Perhaps the writer of the letter had gone mad… But boredom and loneliness were terrible things, and he refused to suffer through it for much longer.

It couldn’t hurt to forget the world and indulge himself in the company of a pretty face for a little while, could it? 

When the letter reached Maria in her dressing room that morning, she found herself re-reading it so many times that her breakfast had gone cold. Her handsome stranger, the one from the masked ball - he still wanted to see her, even after her terrible lie? And, shame of shames, he knew of what had transpired between her and Setzer. The diva had hoped against hope that her dashing man had left the city before word had gotten out.

She set right away to writing a reply. A pigeon could deliver it with the other morning's letters, she was certain. Already there was talk in the hall that Miss Maria was leaping into a romance with yet another questionable suitor, but she ignored the whispers of the chorus girls. They were beneath her, anyway. She had outranked them long ago.

Dearest Sir,

Your reasoning is more than understandable, and your genteel and forgiving nature are refreshing indeed. For my part, I will beg your pardon a thousand times over for my transgression. To have ever wounded the ego of a man of such excellent bearing as yourself is a crime beyond repentance.

But your letter dwells not on such discomforts, and so neither shall mine. I graciously accept your kind invitation for dinner this evening. I trust that I will prove a most amenable companion, and you may trust that my dress will be impeccable. I will not do you yet another offense, especially in the realm of that mighty mistress Fashion.

Yours,

Maria Valdez

Sending the sealed letter along with one of the opera house's pageboys, she set to the crucial task of picking an outfit for the evening. As she flung open the doors of her enormous wardrobe, she sighed. So many options.