Who Are You? (Marguerite)

[Christine Daaé]

It was the day after Christmas, sometime during the early afternoon. Christine walked down the halls with a tray of gingerbread cookies in hand. She was dressed in a crimson bustle dress with white lace trim on the sleeves and along the neckline, two strings of black pearls hanging down to make her neckline not seem so bare from the scoop of the collar. The fabric was mostly silk with some ruffle and bow detailing, along with a matching silk sash that went around her waist. Her long blonde hair was pulled partially back, but hung down over her back in a long golden cascading river of ringlets. It had been a lovely first Christmas with Raoul and, although they were away from home, for a while, it didn't seem to matter so much...

Right now though, she was on her way to visit an old.... friend. She supposed that she could call him that. After all, the poor man certainly didn't seem to have many people he was even remotely close to. She had seen the man, Érik, last on Christmas Eve during the Secret Santa event which had been held there in the manor. It was good, she supposed, for him to have some sort of interaction with the outside world, but she feared that it would not last for very long.

While the two had had somewhat of a tumultuous past, recent events had been... well... much much different. She had thought that she may have fainted at the sight of him when he had appeared at her and Raoul's wedding, though to both her surprise and to her pleasure, he did not murder the groom. It was a bit odd, but most certainly a relief. And then at the Christmas Eve Celebration, he had been the victim of some sort of a joke so it would seem, but he shook it off enough to help her with the simple task of opening her presents. Perhaps.... Perhaps things ere beginning to change for the better in him...

Despite these recent changes though, she still feared that the poor unhappy Érik was likely doomed to remain alone this Christmas season. This was where the plate of cookies came in.

Christine had not been able to visit him on Christmas day, unfortunately. She had been busy spending time with her own family – with her husband and her adoptive mother. She certainly wasn't planning on bringing either of them down to visit with her, and felt it would be rude to leave them and so that was why she had waited until the day after to go and visit the hermit. She had spent that morning in the kitchen, baking a couple dozen pepparkakor (as they were called in her birth country) and decorating them with white icing. She wasn't sure if he would eat them, as she knew he wasn't exactly accustomed to eating on a regular basis, but she did hope that he would at least try them. Perhaps he'd even find that he liked them. Now there was a thought...

She went down the big metal modern lift (although the the contraption still did not quite settle with her), and pressed the button with the words Érik, 1911 written beside it. When the doors reopened, she entered a short shaft until she came to a door which she knew opened up into the 'house on the lake' (though there did not seem to be a lake here). She tried the handle and, to her surprise, found the door to be unlocked. Carefully, she pushed open the door and looked around, her tray of cookies in hand.

“Érik?” she called, wondering if he was at home. “Érik, are you here? Merry Christmas. I brought something for you...”

She stepped in and closed the door behind her, walking into the dining room an glancing around. How very odd... He didn't seem to be at home. She set her tray down on the table and then pulled out one of the chair and sat. She supposed that she would just have to wait for Érik to return, and so that was exactly what she was going to do.

[Marguerite DuBois]

Marguerite started. The door had opened and closed. Érik must be home! She grinned, getting up from her armchair and brushing herself off. But something odd caught her ear. Her husband's steps were lighter than usual. Was he hurt? And then...a woman's voice? There was an intruder in the house on the lake! Marguerite hurried from her place, trying to spot the intruder. The strange woman had moved from the hall, so she'd have to come out of hiding to spot whoever was in her home.

Marguerite slipped from the room, moving steadily toward the light sounds coming from the dining room. A chair pulled out, and she assumed the intruder was sitting now. She crept up to the door and caught a glimpse of blonde hair and pale skin. One more little peek confirmed Marguerite's suspicions. It was that little blonde girl, the one she didn't like at all. Christine....GOD, the name made her seethe with bitterness. Christine was the reason that Érik hadn't believed that she was real. Christine was, according to her husband, the reason that she herself was blonde! That had made her upset when she'd found that one out...

"May I help you?" Marguerite stepped into the dining room, folding her hands in front of her so she could stop her fingers from taking hold of the little girl's neck. "My husband's not home, so I'd be perfectly willing to take a message if you'd like to be on your way. You must be terribly busy, what with all of the things my husband has said that you've been doing. Although, that's assuming that you are indeed the Christine he always speaks of..." She narrowed her eyes a bit. Maybe she'd leave...?

[Christine Daaé]

Christine sat at the table, her ankles crossed off the to side and her hands resting in her lap. She couldn't imagine why Érik could be out, but then again, who could really be sure of what he would do and why. She didn't mind waiting too much. After all, she didn't have any plans for the day, so it wasn't as if she had somewhere else that she needed to be right that very second.

She yawned a little, and was going to rest her head down on the table, but heard a woman's voice which gave her a bit of a start at first. A woman's voice? She couldn't imagine there being another female here... She turned and looked to see a woman who was a few inches taller than she was, with blue eyes and blonde hair. This only serves to cause her even greater confusion. What could this woman possibly be doing in Érik's house?

“I'm sorry... I.... I think I may have the wrong house...” She looked around in confusion. She could have sworn that this was the replica of the house on the lake... but if so, then why was this woman here. “You see, the Érik I'm looking for is not married... Or at least... he wasn't only two months ago...”

And then she furrowed her brow. Although, that's assuming that you are indeed the Christine he always speaks of... This other woman didn't seem very pleased with Christine being there, judging from the way she narrowed her eyes. “I... I'm sorry... have we met before?” She tilted her head a little confused. This woman obviously knew her name at least, though she had no idea how. She didn't exactly bear much resemblance to any of the other 'Christine's' in the Manor...

“Then again... if this is the right place, Érik would certainly prefer I waited for him...” She looked over the woman suspiciously. “Though he doesn't usually like strange people in his home...”

[Marguerite DuBois]

"No, we haven't met before, but I've heard an AWFUL lot about you. Érik talks about you ALL the time. Sometimes, I swear it's all I ever hear." Marguerite gritted her teeth a little on the last word, forcing herself to smile and look amiable. The girl thought that she was trespassing in her own home! How absurd! But then again, the little girl had no idea that she and Érik were married. She supposed that he'd never talked about her to Christine. He always wanted to impress the girl, it seemed. She couldn't think why, this girl was NOTHING. An absolute no one.

"Yes, he gets disagreeable whenever people come near the house. It's hard to get him to calm down sometimes, believe you me." Marguerite took a seat at the table, in the chair adjacent to the blonde girl. How DARE this...CHILD stroll into their home unannounced, requesting her husband, thinking that she could just trespass and get no grief for it!

[Christine Daaé]

Now Christine was even more confused. It must have been the same Érik if he had told her about her.... right? But then again, there were so many Eriks around here that it all become very confusing sometimes... Christine shook her head a little bit in disbelief and rubbed her temples. “Oh dear.... Oh dear, this is all so confusing..."

“I'm... sorry?” She wasn't sure if she should be apologizing to the woman or not. She was still confused about what it was they were discussing, really...

She looked at the woman as she sat down in a chair nearby. She bit her lips and sifted a little. “Érik... well... He never... mentioned anything to me about being married.... In fact, I'm nearly certain he's single...” She shifted a bit awkwardly and pulled the plate of cookies a bit closer. For some reason she couldn't put her finger on, she didn't quite trust this woman...

[Marguerite DuBois]

"Well, he's NOT single, thank you very much. We've been together since he was thirty. He's the mos ingenious man I've ever met..." Marguerite sighed with a smile. "He's absolutely brilliant. I love listening to him compose. And the conversations we have are wonderful." She lost the smile after looking back at Christine. "But sometimes our conversations get cut short by his other business. He's quite the busy man, after all."

Marguerite shrivelled inwardly at the thought of how many conversations of theirs had been cut short by this girl. Ever since Érik had discovered her at the opera house, the conversations would get shorter and shorter...He would always have to go out to see his banker, attend a rehearsal, or get to a lesson with...her. It made Marguerite feel like she was the third wheel in a relationship that was HERS first! It was unfair, having to sink back into non-existence in Érik's mind. Eventually, with Christine in his life, Érik forgot all about his poor Marguerite...

[Christine Daaé]

Christine knit her brow a bit at what the woman said. The more she explained, the more impossible it seemed. She wasn't sure of Érik's exact age, though she was certain that he was quite a few years over thirty, and this woman definitely did not seem old enough to have been married to him for that long if that were the case. She shook her head a little in confusion.

“The more you explain to me, the more I am inclined to believe that you are lying. How is it possible for you to have been married to Érik for so long if you are in fact married to him? It simply doesn't make sense. And if he were already married, then why would he make a proposal of marriage to me with the threat of death if I refused? Your story just doesn't make sense...”

[Marguerite DuBois]

(TAKE THAT, LITTLE MISS FOUR POSTS. Fail post is fail.)

Marguerite's face reddened. HOW DARE this little girl claim that she and her husband were not married! Although, legitimately, they'd never undergone ceremonies...So...NO! She couldn't let this girl get into her head.

Marguerite pursed her lips angrily. "We're not OFFICIALLY married." She hissed her words through her teeth, giving the girl an obvious little glare.

[Christine Daaé]

((Oh come on! You can do better than this XDDD And besides, I still have fewer posts to do than you BTW, rings include not only the plain gold ring, but also her rings from Raoul, including wedding ring, if you want to jump to conclusions XD))

Christine regarded the girl with some suspicion, as well as some confusion. Something seemed unsettling here, though she couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was. She assumed it was because she'd always known Érik to be a very keep to himself kind of guy, and knew he enjoyed his privacy. It just seemed... out of character for him to be married, especially after the whole incident with the scorpion and the grasshopper.

And then, her suspicions were confirmed. The woman admitted that she and Érik were not officially married, which did not come to any sort of a surprise to her, all things considered. What surprised her though, and quite frankly disturbed her a bit, was the way she hissed her words through her teeth and glared at her. The girl flinched back a little. Had she done something wrong? “I... I'm sorry...?” she said, though it was really more a question than an apology.

She wondered if Érik even knew that she were here. After all, this whole situation seemed very strange... She readjusted herself a little and moved her hands from her lap onto the table her rings in plain view. “I just find it all... odd, is all...” She couldn't imagine that Érik would have been so adamant in his attempt to make her his wife...

[Marguerite DuBois]

Marguerite stood. That was the last straw. The rings, all the different rings...And one of them was from Érik! No, it couldn't be true! "Where did you get that?" Marguerite's voice was sharp, harsh. She couldn't help that she was offended by the mere thought of this girl in her home.

"And don't you DARE to insult me like that again!" Her fingers clenched into fists. She swore, as soon as that girl opened her mouth to sat another thing against her relationship with Érik, she was going to get the beating of a lifetime! She seethed, giving off an aura of irritation and anger.

As soon as she said ONE thing....

[Christine Daaé]

Christine sat there, glancing about the dining room of the house on the lake. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. She was quite certain that she was in the right house... After all, it wasn't as if it were her first time coming down here, even to the version of the house found here at the Manor. She supposed she'd just have to wait for Érik to return. Maybe he could straighten out whatever the situation really was here...

The other woman's words were sharp and harsh, which confused Christine yet more. She didn't see any reason for it at all. Had she insulted the other woman? Apparently so, though how that could have happened, she wasn't sure...

Where did you get that?

Christine looked down at her hands. The other woman seemed to be referring to the rings that she was wearing. “This?” she asked. “It's the wedding ring from my husband. We were married not very long ago.... why?”

[Marguerite DuBois]

That was IT! Marguerite leaped across the space between the two of them, grabbing at the girl. How DARE she refer to Érik as HER husband! She knocked the girl out of the chair and onto the ground, sitting just over her and slapping her hard across the face. That BITCH. That conniving little tramp!

"Don't you EVER call my Érik your husband again! Do you hear me?! Do you understand?! He loves me! Who's been there for him whenever he needed someone?! ME! Who's watched after him when he locked himself up for days at a time on that opera of his?! ME! Then WHY does he always talk about YOU!" She gave the girl another hard slap, her stance weakening above the girl as she leaned precariously to one side.

[Christine Daaé]

When the other woman leaped at her and grabbed her, Christine could not help but to shriek out in terror and surprise. She instinctively covered her head with her hands as if trying to shield herself, though from what exactly she was not quite sure.

Christine was knocked backward out of the chair where she had been sitting, and hit her head with a thud that caused her hands to fall from her defensive position and expose her face long enough for the other woman to slap it hard. She was raving about Érik, and calling him her husband… Christine was so confused and terrified by the accusations, that she didn’t know how to respond to them!

She cried out again when the woman slapped her across the face, and tried to push her away, but she was much stronger than one would have thought… That, and it wasn’t exactly easy to try to rebuff someone while dressed in full Victorian ladies’ attire. “Stop!” was all that she could yell. “Stop it!”

Tears of fright had begun flowing from her blue eyes as she desperately tried to repel the other woman. What was going on here!?

[Erik Spectre]

It was the day after Christmas, and Érik's mood had been considerably dreary after the commotion on Christmas Eve. He lingered in his home that morning, bored out of his mind and staring at his strange "present" that an actual de Chagny had given him. He toyed with it a little, pressing buttons and failing to turn it on until he realized that it had to be "plugged in" to a "wall outlet" as he read on the instruction sheet. Exasperated, he left the house at the bottom of the stairwell without so much as a word to Marguerite, though the girl knew when he was in rare form, after all.

He spent the rest of the morning studying the hallways of the manor, drawing a mental map in his mind of the architecture and layout. As he was in a clearer mental state than he had been some months ago, he sought to replicate each nook and cranny in his mind for futher uses later. He found it easier to roam, easily finding the dining hall, the foyer, music rooms, ballroom, and other staples of any mansion.

Pleased with himself, and finally feeling less frustrated, he made his way back to his home to retrieve Marguerite. Perhaps... they might go for a walk? Yes, it seemed a fine day for winter's walk in the garden.

However... When he entered his little house he detected it. Her scent and voice. It was easy to pick out in the stillness, especially when the tone's of Marguerite's perpetual whine pervaded Christine's sweet voice.

The moment he stepped into the room, however, a storm went off in his mind. At first he could not move, could not speak until at once Christine rang out for help, and the gears in his mind were finally put in motion.

Snapping his gapping jaw shut, Érik immediately shouted. "MARGUERITE!" he roared. His mood was tarnished once more, and the only thing he could see was blood red. He ripped his "wife" away from Christine roughly by the arm. His eyes were like fire peering into hers. He leaned over her, the girl's entire body nearly flat against the ground. He did not let go.

"I should kill you for what you've done!"

[Marguerite DuBois]

Marguerite immediately cowered beneath the man she loved, eyes going wide with fear. When he was in a mood, she KNEW that he would carry out the threats he made...and he'd just threatened to kill her for defending their relationship...

"I'm sorry, Erik! I'm sorry!" Her eyes stung as tears of fright formed and fell down her face. "I was only acting to defend us! Our relationship..." She hoped that Erik would get out of his mood, maybe side with her this once when the little blonde annoyance was here...

Erik hadn't been this mad at her in a long while. The last time that he'd gotten mad at her, he'd shaken her up a bit, but he'd never been so mad as to truly mean to threaten her with death. Did he truly care about Christine that much...? What did Christine have that she didn't have? She was blonde too, blue eyes, small frame, young looks...Indeed, Marguerite didn't sing, but was that really all that Erik cared about?