Chapter Text
She was dancing, floating, with music surrounding her that was so filling she could go days without food and water. Although the air was so full with wired tension she’s sure she could play a tune by simply strumming her finger as if she were playing a harp.
The new owner of the opera house was taking his tour and observing the talent, and Rey danced and frayed her little heart out, she wanted to impress the man in hopes she would catch his eye and perhaps let her audition for something better than a backup dancer. So she danced her best until the very last note was played on the organ.
A moment of silence overtook the theatre as everyone basked in the feeling of what they had all just created, a masterpiece. The first to break the silence was Madame Phasma, she yapped and exclaimed she needed her throat spray as the rest of us scattered and lingered around to talk.
“Monsieur’s! Ladies and gentlemen, please, if I could have your attention”
The opera turned before Unkar as he splattered and babbled on about things everyone already knew.
“As you know for some weeks there have been rumours of my imminent retirement, and I can now tell you that they’re all true…”
A collective of gasps and aha’s echoed throughout the theatre, Plutt shushed the growing hurdle of members as their theorised.
“Now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the gentleman who now own the opera. Monsieur Skywalker”
Clapping filled the hollow space of quietness and Rey, alongside Rose joined in, it was time that nasty man retired anyway, and the man, Skywalker had an easing presence around him. Plutt goes on about his recent fortune in scavenging and Rey pikes up, intrigued all the more.
“He must be rich”
Rose whispers into her ear as Rey giggles and shakes her head at her friend.
“I am deeply honoured to introduce our new patron monsieur Dameron”
Clapping echos the theatre as a man jogs towards the crowd. One Rey recognised all too well.
“It’s Poe-”
Rose glances in her direction, eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips.
“Before my parents left, at our house in the desert- well I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts”
Rey blinks at the man only a few feet away, he had grown so, more of a man than the boy she remembered, he still sprouted the same curly hair he once had, yet it was darker than she remembered.
“Reylee he’s so handsome”
Rose gushes while smirking at her friend.
“My parents and I are honoured to support all kinds of arts, especially the world renowned, opera populaire-”
A swish of bright jewels blocks Rey’s vision, and she watches as the queen bee herself swishes not so gracefully into the hands of Poe, palm downturned and ready for him to place his pouted lips against her flesh.
“Gentlemen, this is signora Phasma Gwendoline, our leading soprano for five spectacular seasons”
Poe kisses her hand and dismisses her all within 5 seconds already onto the next person. Rey studies Poe’s back reviling in memories that she wasn’t all of sure he remembered, but she could remember just fine. A conversation she wasn’t paying attention to takes place and before she knows it they are wished away back to their rehearsal.
“Thank you monsieur Dameron! Now once more if you please signor”
Phasma swishes the floor with her oversized skirts babbling to the crowd of uncaring.
“He love me, he loved me”
Rose scoffs beside her before turning back to their beam to stretch. Rey takes a glance at Poe as he begins making his way towards them, her heart flutters and clenches in her chest, but when he nears he no more than glances her way. He wouldn’t recognise her anyway…
Music resumes as the opera re-lights its performance, and the dancing all but resumes, greeting her as an old friend it seems. Little to her knowledge Rey was being watched by the new owner.
“Her name was Palpatine did you say madame Tico? No relation to the famous prime-minister Palpatine?”
“His granddaughter, orphaned at 7, then she was adopted into the royal ballet academy”
Skywalker grunted and stroked his cane moving along the line of dancers as they rehearsed.
“I think of her as my daughter also-”
As the song neared it’s end, an awful- and it could only be described as a wail, was belted through the opera as it’s final note to end the song, some grimaced and some covered their ears and squinted their eyes, all the whole Rey just grimaced but watched from her pose. Phasma glanced towards the new opera owner and sneered.
“All you want is dancing!”
She dramatically threw herself in a semi circle and addressed Skywalker.
“That is fine you like the dancing, because I will not be singing!”
A panicked look overtook the new owners face and he looked to Plutt for guidance, he simply lifted a weighted brow and gestured to Phasma’s disappearing person.
“Grovel, grovel”
Luke waltzed after the diva exclaiming all sorts of praises, hoping to speak to her in some way.
“Goddess of song, come now you were brilliant! The show is no show without its leading lady”
Phasma puffed and spun to turn around, facing Skywalker head on. Her jewelled wrist shook in front of his face.
“There will be no show!? Why? Why? Because I hate my hat! And I do not have my costume because someone-”
Phasma turns her offending finger towards the stage director.
“Has yet to finish it!”
Skywalker grimaces, arguing back and forth as the rest of the opera chuckle and shake their heads. Rey on the other hand wasn’t paying attention entirely, she was too busy thinking about her memories with Poe when they were kids. How could he not remember her?
Something catches her eye then.
Glancing above the stage rafters, Rey thought she saw movement, frowning she follows more movement with her eyes and watches as rope drags its way across the rafters, it was almost like there was something heavy attached to the other end and it couldn’t be pulled down quick enough.
Turning her attention back to the rehearsal, Rey watches everyone, well someone take her place in the centre of the stage and begin rehearsal.
“Think of me, think of me fondly…When we’ve said goodbye!-”
Stage hands grimace and plug their ears with cloth from their clothing and the others in the opera grimace bit nevertheless pretend like they are enjoying it for Phasma’s selfies sake.
“Remember me once in a while please promise me you’ll try!”
More movement disrupts Rey from the performance and she frowns, glancing back up at the rafters- she swore she just saw the swish of a cape…
“When you find, that once again you belong to-”
People around her now look up to the rafters in alert of the new sound echoing, like she said before, like a rope had been cut-
Crash
A curtin closes all to early before the performance had begun and it drapes over Phasma, cutting off her belting and startling the rest of the occupants in the opera into gasps and screams. Panic overcomes everyone as they scamper their way to uncover the Madame from her silk prison. She splitters dramatically and yells out.
Rey pays no attention to the chaos as she watches the cloaked figure get away.
“He’s here- the phantom of the opera”
Rey whispers to Rose. Ms Tico looks alarmed as she gathers both girls in her arms and cradles them in fear.
“Is everyone alright?!”
Monsieur Skywalker exclaims over the chaos, lifting one girls arm to help her stand again.
“What’s going on up there?!”
Skywalker outrages to the stage hand above.
“Don’t look at me monsieur! I was away from my post”
Skywalker glances around at the chaos and overdramatic’s. The diva herself splays up in a fit of puffs and rage and yells at everyone trying to dust and pamper her dress off. The silent echo of heels clanks behind monsieur Skywalker and he feels a tap on his shoulder, he turns to find madame Tico, she seems to be holding a piece of parchment in her hand.
“I have a message from the opera ghost”