The Prima Donna and the Phantom (C. Celestia)

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik entered the opera house in the early morning. No need anymore for the cape and hat for the weather was warm now. He was attired in his normal evening dress which he wore almost all the time. There was usually no one in the opera house except himself. On occasion he would meet a curious resident of the mansion, but the place was useless now, unless it would be refurbished, which he was planning to do. In fact, he was rather obsessed with it.

His notebook in hand, Erik was making more notes. The cleaning was almost finished. The next step would be repairing the wooden parts which had rotted or broken through. The seats were in bad repair too. Each one must be looked at, repaired if necessary and then given a new coat of varnish and shellac. Then each would need to be reupholstered. He would get Meg' involved in choosing the materials and colours. The curtains and carpeting of course would have to match the upholstery and that would be one of the final things that would be done.

Erik noticed a place on one of the wooden walls which seemed to be rotted quite badly. He found the tall ladder that had been found somewhere in the mansion and brought here . He carried it to the location, climbed up and examined it. The wood was indeed badly rotted. It would have to be replaced.

Then Erik heard a door open and close in the back and footfalls. He didn't look back because of being on the ladder and when he didn't hear any more footfalls, he forgot all about it, for his attention was on the task at hand. He pulled out his notebook to write several things about the location of the rotten wood.

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Carlotta had woken up early that day and had already eaten breakfast. It had been a bit difficult for her to sleep in this place, though she attributed it mostly to the fact that she was still not quite familiar with it. After breakfast, she had decided to walk through the manor a bit in hopes to get a sort of a feel for the place. She had not met many people here -- only the vicomte de Chagny and some little girl by the name of Roselin who strangely enough reminded her a bit of herself when she was a girl...

It was as she was walking that she cme across an oddly familiar site. It was a set of double doors with a label over top of them reding orchestra seating. Orchestra seating? One usually only saw such when they were entering the house of a theatre. So if this was orchestra seating, then that must mean...

When the large woman pushed open the doors, her suspicions were confirmed, for inside was a theatre which resembled almost exactly the Opéra Populaire where she had sung for the past few years, with the exception that the place looked as if it had been aged nealy a hundred years... How very strange indeed? What on earth was the Opéra Populaire doing here of all places?

Inside she saw a man standing on a ladder near one of the more deteriorating of the wooden walls. Perhaps he was one of the stagehands who worked here? Ugh! Filthy place, it was! He should certainly be fired from his job for allowing the place to end up in such horrid condition if he was in fact one of the people responsible for maintaining the place.

She gave an audiable grunt in digust at the wretched room. How horrid! how horrid... Why anyone would suffer through such dreadful conditions to sit and watch or to perform in here was beyond her comprehension...

[Erik Lenoir]

Still examining the rotted wood on the wall of the opera house, Erik thought he must examine the outside wall or possibly the roof. It could be that rainwater had come in through a crack in the roof or the walls and rotted away this area of the wood. It would be easily fixed if that were the cause. Insects would be harder to deal with.

Just then he heard a sound of disgust from someone. So there had been a person who had entered. He had heard footfalls, but hadn't paid much mind to them. He held on to the ladder with one hand, his notebook and pen in the other. He turned around in curiosity to see who had entered. When he realized who it was, he almost fell off the ladder. It rocked a bit and he dropped the pen and notebook, with a loud smack of a sound, as the notebook hit the wooden back of one of the seats. However, the ladder didn't fall. Erik climbed down the ladder and picked up the pen and notebook.

Damn! Carlotta was here! He wasn't surprised really, for most of the people from the opera were showing up one by one. But this one...now he would be subjected to her screaching again. His ears hurt with the mere thought of her voice.

He thought a minute about how to handle this. Unless she had come to the mansion after his opera had been performed, he didn't think it likely that Carlotta had ever seen him. She might recognize his voice from the way he had projected it throughout the whole opera house on quite a few occasions. But he hoped she wouldn't. He would just try to keep out of her way.

Erik tried to avoid her glance and kept his head down. Perhaps he should just leave the opera house before she noticed him. He tucked his pen and notebook away in his inner coat pocket and stood there for a moment, thinking about how best to make his get-away.

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Filthy, filthy, filthy! Why anyone would ever allow a theatre to become so unkempt was utterly beyond her!Carlotta was quite disgusted at the sight, and wasn't about to hide that fact. She was far too used to the opera being neat and tidy and ordered with everything in its proper place. But this... This was an absolute atrocity was what it was! Something most certainly needed to be done... And so the diva so graciously took it upon herself to find someone else to do it. After all, she wasn't about to get her hands dirty.

She scanned around the place, not seeing anyone at a first glance, but then she heard a loud smack and turned to see a man climbing down a ladder and picking up a notebook that seemed to have fallen. He would have to do – it didn't seem as if there was anyone else at all in there. “Signore? Signore, I fear that this theatre is in need of a proper dusting. È molto molto lurido – very dirty! Are you the one in charge of tidying things up around here?”

[Erik Lenoir]

When Carlotta spoke, Erik looked at her but said nothing. It was too late to make a get-away now. He raised his visible eyebrow and started to walk slowly around her, like a stalking cat, just gazing at her in silence. Then he stopped walking. "So... I look like the man who cleans the opera house," he said rather quietly. "Indeed. And so of course I shall wear my formal clothing to sweep up the dirt." Erik's voice dripped sarcasm. "Perhaps, Madame, you would be so kind then as to pick up a mop and broom and help me clean the place if it offends you so."

The nerve of this woman! Coming here and insulting him and complaining that the place was dirty! "My dear woman, and I say dear rather lightly, the place was much worse earlier. It has a hundred years worth of dirt, grime and dilapidation. I intend to have the place sparkling at some point, but it takes time. I am contracting with some people from the village to do some of the work. The place will be perfect and beautiful and will once again ring with the sound of beautiful music." He gave her an arrogant look. He wondered if she recognized his speaking voice. He had often projected his voice in the opera house in Paris, but he didn't know if she had been taken before or after she had heard it.

But Erik didn't care any more at this point. He wasn't planning to let Carlotta sing on his stage. He would do everything to keep her from that. He gave her a stern look. "Incidentally, I am the one in charge of not only the renovation, but I will be conducting auditions and managing all the productions also....Carlotta..."

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Indeed. And so of course I shall wear my formal clothing to sweep up the dirt.

That voice.... The diva paled. She recognized that voice. It was the same one which had called out with that foul warning just before she was to take the stage for Il Muto, and just before she fainted and appeared here at the manor.

Should these demands not be met, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur!

She stood still, and then adjusted herself a bit uneasily, giving a nervous chuckle. He knew her name too, which didn't surprise her, all things considered, but it did serve to remove any hint of doubt there may have been in her mind. What should she say? What did one say to a false ghost who had been tormenting them for the past three years?

[Erik Lenoir]

"Come, dear Carlotta," he said, his voice oozing sarcasm, "sit down and tell me what your plans are, now that you know that I'm here too." Erik gave an overly dramatic gesture with his hand to indicate one of the audience seats. He sat in one which was two seats away from the one he had indicated so they would not be too close.

How Erik loathed the woman. She was arrogant and rude and demanded her own way. She would undoubtedly want the lead role in all of the operas. "I plan to refurbish this place, as I've said before and hold operas here. I have all of the main roles taken already. So don't even think about that. We could have a minor role for you. Something along the lines of ...a slient role." He smiled urbanely. "It would suit your voice most wonderfully. Then of course there is the consideration of your acting. It's overdone and quite impossible for any but the most minor role. So consider yourself lucky."

Erik knew he had to stop her immediately before she thought she had the chance of getting a choice role. "Unfortunately, here you will see me face to face." He scrutinized her face, wondering if she was curious about the mask. The other Carlotta had ripped his mask from his face and he was not about to have that happen again. Especially with this woman. "I have no plans to masquerade as the Opera Ghost any more, considering everyone already knows who I am. However, I will expect cooperation from everyone who wishes to be in any of my productions, even in a small role. And considering that the managers are not here, I shall be managing this opera house myself. With some help from another of the Eriks." He smiled urbanely again. "And everything will be perfect if you all just do as I say. It's as easy as that."

Erik gave her a sharp and vitreolic look. His words were a harsh whisper as he said, "As I have said in the past, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur..."

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Carlotta stood frozen with fear a moment longer. She could not help but to sit when the man-ghost gestured. So the 'ghost' was real after all...

For the past three years, she had dealt with mysterious misfortunes at the hand of the 'opera ghost', whom she had been convinced was merely a plot to remove her from her position at the opera house. But now... now he stood here before her. This must be the man of whom the vicomte spoke when she had first come to this bizarre place.

“O Dio...” she murmured in spite of herself as she gazed at the masked man. She couldn't help but to get a little red in the face when he continued to speak. Silent role... Ha! If he really thought that La Carlotta would want to be in anything directed by him, by... by that... that criminal!... then he should consider thinking again.

Carlotta inhaled and drew up her posture to puff herself up, and make herself look less afraid than she actually was. “Signore,” she said with an attempt at a rather haughty air, standing once more, “Do you think for one instant that I should have to be subjugated to your whim? I do not have to sing 'ere when there are plenty of other houses who would beg to have a seasoned professional such as myself among their cast.”

[Erik Lenoir]

Carlotta sat down as Erik bade her. She lookeed a bit stunned and was that a bit of fear Erik saw in her eyes? He couldn't be sure. She didn't seem to like his suggestions though.

"You don't like the idea of a silent role? Really. How interesting. You would be so perfect for it. I can't possibly think of anyone better." Erik was supremely confident that this woman would never again grace his stage with her hideous voice and terrible acting.

She had been the bane of his life at the Opéra Populaire in Paris. He had had to do many things over the past three years, trying to frighten her away and writing notes to the managers threatening her and them, if nothing was done. And many times, nothing had been done. It took the murder of a stage hand to finally make them come to their senses and realize he was serious.

Now that he was face to face with everyone, there wasn't the mystery of the "Opera Ghost," but it would be easier to control what happened in the opera house since he was manager. There was no way this woman would get near his stage unless she were sitting in the audience.

Erik smirked. "Really. Plenty of other opera houses. We're not in Paris, my dearest Carlotta. There is no opera house here but mine..." He put his arm over the back of the chair next to him in an over-confident gesture and smirked again.

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Carlotta adjusted herself, straightening her posture in order to make herself appear less threatened than she actually was. She was not about to let this scheming blackmailer rob her of her well-deserved and hard-earned limelight as he had in the past. No, this was where things were finally going to take a turn in her favor.

“I am aware that we are not in Parigi, Signore,” she spat bitterly. “I have been told, actually, that we are that we are in England. If that is the case, I am certain that Her Majesty's Theatre would be more than happy to have me back. Why would I want to be part of a silly no-name criminal's vagabond opera when I could be starring with some of the world's finest?”

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik smiled, ever more confident of himself. "Yes, England, of course. And Her Majesty's Theater? It is unlikey, my dear woman that you would even be able to get there. None of us are able to even go further than the village. Why do think I'm still in this bloody place? I would have been gone as soon as I arrived, if that were possible." He leaned over a bit toward her and said in a loud whisper, "I have this on good authority, dear Carlotta. If any one of us ventures further than the village, we shall disappear... go up in smoke as if we had never lived." He leaned back, still smirking. "So of course you are quite welcome to relocate to the village. Perhaps you would even care to build your own opera house there." He tried to stifle a laugh at that., but was unsuccessful. "Of course I assure you that you would go quite bankrupt if you insisted on being the headliner." He paused a moment for effect. "But I encourage you to go further than the village. It would be a treat for all true music lovers to see you disappear."

"And my dear Carlotta, you must be careful of the names that you call me if you wish to remain in my good graces. A silent part upon the stage is quite better than none at all. Silly, you say? Why wold you call me silly? I quite think you are much more absurd and irrational than I. Your rants and fits of self-serving pique have no place on any stage. And vagabond opera you say. Perhaps you might explain what you mean by that." Erik raised an eyebrow and gazed at her arrogantly.

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

Carlotta heard what the phantom said about how if they left this place, they would all just disappear into oblivion. She wasn't sure whether he was telling the truth, or whether he was just trying to intimidate her. In fact, until now, she had been quite certain that he didn't even exist, that it was all some sort of a hoax... She knew that she had contacts at the theatre, but if all of this were true... No! No, it couldn't be true. It was impossible, wasn't it? But then, he made something that made her boil...

“Si, Her Majesty's Theatre. And any true music lovers would be quite happy listening to a seasoned professional with acclaim from the great stages across Europe. That is what true music lovers would consider to be a real treat. This is a vagabond opera! It's worthless, unsettled, and has no regular direction or future.”

[Erik Lenoir]

"Vagabond opera...of course the opera house is in bad condition. It's been neglected for over a hundred years. I am gradually restoring it. Surely you have no objection to that. I have hired men from the village to fix the electrics in the place and put in a new electric chandelier. Quite stunning, don't you think? The electric wires were corroded and a fire hazard, considering they were put in the opera house so long ago, when electricity was quite new."

"And the stage will be rebuilt. The curtains will be replaced. The seats will be newly reupholstered. And many more things shall be done. It was very bad when I first came here, full of dust and cobwebs. It will once again be worthy of opera productions. No direction? worthless and unsettled?" Erik smiled. Really. And why would you say that? Almost single handedly I have systematically done the work to make this opera theatre spotless and worthy of beautiful music again. Perhaps I should have had it torn down and started over again, from my own designs. But the King would have none of it. So, to please him, I am simply going to refurbish it. "

"Now as to Her Majesty's Theatre, I invite you to audition there. If you can make it to London without disappearing, excellent, for you that is. I shall not say what I think the patrons there will think. However, that is not my concern. " He smiled wickedly. "Of course if you should happen to disappear on your way to London, well, you can't say I didn't warn you. Either way, I am...deliciously rid of you."

[Carlotta Celestia Giudicelli]

((I think I already spoke to you about finishing this thread fairly soon. Not sure how much longer I can keep her in there XD ))

Carlotta really wasn’t particularly fond of this entire situation. To her own dismay, Monsieur le Vicomte had been correct in his statement that the Opera Ghost was quite real and was in fact a masked man masquerading as the spectre. She had been tired of the man causing her endless unpleasantries back in Paris, and she certainly was not about to allow him to continue doing so here. Though perhaps him being here could prove to be to her advantage. If she could find a way to get back to Paris now, there would be absolutely no one there to constantly sabotage her performance… or at least in theory there would be no one too. Soon enough, the world would forget about Christine and she could go about freely performing as God intended.

Her green eyes narrowed at the ghost’s snickering at the thought of her disappearing if and when she went to audition for Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Of course he would like that to happen, the horrid bastard! But she must remember that she was La Carlotta! She was adored my millions of fans and he was nothing more than the bane of the company’s existence.

“What would not make anyone who knows a thing about opera say that? It takes far more than clean seats to fill a theatre” She really was irritated with the whole situation. Here she was, standing there with her years and years of training and experience, and being insulted by a mundane wannabe manager who hadn’t the slightest clue as to the true functionality of theatre.

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik steepled his fingers and gazed at her with a look of disdain. "Now tell me, dearest Carlotta, who do you suppose really ran the Opéra Populaire and made it a success? Certainly not the two idiot managers André and Firmin. I had to constantly prompt them step by step. If you wish to speak of people who know nothing of opera, look to them. They needed to be shown how to manage the opera house. I merely helped them. At first I politely wrote notes with suggestions. But the idiots needed more than a polite note. They needed a sharp rap in the head. And even when I startled them a bit, they still insisted on their own way!" He started to look a bit angry, then his eyes softened and he laughed softly. "I wonder how the Populaire is faring since I've been gone. It has likely fallen into disrepair and disrepute since there is no one there to guide them. I feel badly for the ruin of my opera house..." He looked sad for a moment, then recovered his arrogant rant. " But alas there is nothing I can do about it, except start from the beginning here. And since I am the sole manager, it will most certainly be a success."

He smiled benevolently at the singer. "And dearest Carlotta, with what shall you be occupying yourself since I have effectively ended your singing career..." He cleared his throat. "If you can call it singing..."