Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 20, 2012 0:45:45 GMT -5
Erik woke up early that morning and dressed at a leisurely pace. He was concentrating on the opera house renovation lately and it occupied his every thought. But today was different. It was a warm, but overcast day and he thought it would be a lovely time to take a walk outside, when the sun was not so bright. He did a lot of planning while he was walking. He had some ideas he needed to mull over in his head.
After a quick breakfast, Erik discovered he was out of eggs. He never hesitated these days, to take food from the kitchen, for it was always replenished. And no one said not to either.
Erik walked down one of the long hallways and made a few turns, coming to the dining room/kitchen area. Even though it was a warm morning outside, the dining room was cool. Erik decided not to build a fire because he was sure it would warm up later.
He noticed the long case clock had stopped again. He had just recently looked at it and re set it, but to no avail apparently. He needed to take it apart and see what was causing the problem. He would need to take the movement down to his lair or else the tools up here.
Erik went in the kitchen and procured eggs from the large ice box ... the one which seemed to be electric and didn't use any ice. He put several eggs in a paper bag and carefully folded the top closed. Then he looked in the cupboards to see if there was anything else he needed. He took a long loaf of bread too. He was just placing the bread on the table when he heard footfalls. They were soft and quick; they sounded like a woman. He picked up the loaf of bread and bag of eggs and opened the door to the dining room.
When he saw who it was, he very nearly dropped the eggs and bread on the floor. He caught them in time and put them back on the table, all the while holding the door open and gazing at the girl who had just entered the dining room.
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on May 20, 2012 23:26:49 GMT -5
Christine stretched and rubbed her eyes as she felt the light and warmth of the sun's rays kiss her face, awakening her from her slumber. It had been an... interesting day before, for lack of a better word – by far the strangest birthday she had ever had. It had started off with her waking up in a strange underground home, meeting her angel and teacher, and then making him furious by removing his mask before he took her up to the surface again. Then, the opera that evening had started as normal, but quickly took a turn for the worse when the Angel's voice interrupted the performance and then La Carlotta began to croak like a toad, followed immediately by the hanging of Joseph Buquet. She and Raoul had rushed up to the roof to escape and they ended up professing their feelings for another. They went back down and she continued the performance, this time as the Countess rather than as the pageboy Serafimo. She was taking her bows and then nearly hit by the crashing chandelier, but was saved by Raoul and went unconscious. When she woke up, she was here in the manor, and Raoul was there, but he was acting strangely. But then he showed her around the manor and took her to dinner and... Quite honestly, the young woman was confused beyond reason. It had certainly been far from what anyone would call a 'normal' birthday...
She sat up and got dressed. Oddly, a lot of her clothing was there, in that room. She selected a deep blue pattered bustle dress with a fairly low neckline for the era. Perhaps it was a bit scandalous, but she was an actress and dancer – she wasn't exactly expected to wear the most 'appropriate' attire all of the time. Besides, she liked this dress. It was comfy and a good color on her.
Set out of her room and began exploring the strange place she had awoken in the day before. She hadn't wandered far from the places that Raoul had showed her the evening before, as the place was quite large and she did not wish to get lost. She was a bit hungry and remembered vaguely how to get to the kitchen, so she decided that would be her first stop in the day's explorations.
After a bit of time retracing her steps, she managed to wander her way back into the dining room. Now that she was a bit less tired and more comfortable with the surroundings, she decided to look over the room a bit before she got something to eat. After all, it was still fairly early, and it was such a curious room. She walked over to an enormous grandfather clock and examined it. It seemed to have stopped. She carefully moved the hands a little as she examined its face, wondering if anybody had noticed who could reset it.
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 21, 2012 0:11:17 GMT -5
The girl who had entered the room...could it be? It looked just like his Christine! But could it really be? Erik had mistaken Christine Emilie for his own Angel several times, the last one when she had worn her hair down in the same fashion that his own Angel had worn hers. He wondered. Emilie knew him, in fact she rather fancied him. But was this Emilie?
The girl was looking at the long case clock that he had noticed earlier was stopped. Her back was to him and apparently she had not seen him when he had stepped through the swinging door. He was still in the doorway, holding the door open with his foot. He stepped out of the doorway and let the door close quietly, catching it in his hand. He stood there, waiting for her to turn. She didn't. He didn't want to startle her. He looked more closely at her. He was sure it was not Emilie...
If it were Emilie, she would be happy to see him, as she always was. If it were not, if this girl were the girl he had taught to sing, then courted, mesmerized, become angry with, kidnapped twice, finally holding her and her lover Raoul de Chagny prisoner for a time before finally letting them both go, could she possibly have any good feelings toward him? It was true that her kiss had been the start of a sort of revitalization of his mind and soul, she had taught him what unselfish love meant. But would she care to see him? He thought not, now, after hoping for all these months, he thought not. He was afraid of what she might say to him, perhaps she would run from him, screaming.
All of his arrogant assertions to Raoul Christophe that, when she arrived, Christine would have forgiven Erik and chosen him over Christophe ... now he was not so sure. He had not treated her well. He could see that now. He had spoken to her harshly and cursed her when she pulled his mask off. He had pulled her about roughly. How could he have done such with his gentle Angel? Before, he had been so sure of himself, so sure that she would love him if only he could get his hands on her and take her away from the influences of the outside world. How little he had known then! One cannot force love. If he had learned no lesson from his experience than that, this one lesson would have been enough. So....would she smile at him kindly now...or run away in terror or worse, spit in his face and walk away in derision?
He took a few steps in her direction, again, not wishing to startle her. His steps were cat like; he could rarely be heard walking unless he wished to be heard. He stopped a respectable distance from her and decided to say something non committal.
"Yes the clock has stopped. I shall be taking care of it very soon..."
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on May 21, 2012 21:29:56 GMT -5
Christine jumped a little at the sound of the voice that came from behind her. That voice... She recognized that voice... Slowly, she turned around. There he was. The same masked man who had led her through the mirror only two night before. The same masked man who was the Angel of Music...
The last she had heard of that voice was the cackling laughter right before the chandelier had come crashing toward her during the bows of Il Muto. Right before she had nearly been wiped from existence the very evening of her twenty-first birthday...
Her jaw dropped a little, lips trembling, too astounded to move or to say anything to him. She had hardly expected to see him here, especially out in the light. The only time she had ever seen him before was in that deep, underground place where the daylight dissolved into darkness.... darkness... What did he want with her? She was so confused be him. One moment, he was the Angel of Music and the next he was screaming and curing at her, his hideous face almost illuminated with fury...
She managed a light nod, smiling just a little, but just as quickly as it had appeared, it faded away again, consumed with fear. Would he try to kill her again? My God, who is this man... she thought to herself.
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 21, 2012 22:23:29 GMT -5
It was indeed his Christine...if he could call her his... He wondered how much she had lived through before coming here. He hoped she had not seen his face or been frightened by him and ... the worst would have been if she had experienced that horrible scene in the lair with Raoul...
He must find out what her last remembrance was before she as brought here...
"Christine," he said softly...."Christine," he said again, almost feeling tongue tied. This was not like him! He could not think of a word to say other than her name...
He stood for another few seconds before her, a few fleeting seconds that seemed as hours passing by so slowly. He finally found his voice again. "It's good to see you again..." His voice was still soft and almost a whisper. "I did not mean to startle you..." He smiled. "How glad I am to see you," he said, almost repeating himself. He paused for quite a while. "How long have you been here at the mansion?"
Erik had gone over in his mind all the things that he would say to Christine when she appeared, all the questions he would ask, all the things that were in his heart that he wanted to pour out to her, to beg her for another chance...but here she was and all he could ask her was how long she had been at the mansion?
But that one question lingered on his mind more than the others, yet he hesitated to ask. He wanted to know where she had been when she had been taken. That would determine how she felt about him. He hoped upon hope that it was before those terrible things had happened...
Then, of a sudden, all of his emotions overcame him. He took a few steps closer to her, "My Angel..." he said, softly but with emotion, "How much I've missed you..."
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on May 23, 2012 2:42:26 GMT -5
She stared at him, dumb, speechless, as he repeated her name over and over. Staring face-to-face (or rather, face-to-mask) with the man who had caused the chandelier to come down, nearly crushing her the night before, as a deathly still silence fell between them.
Should she try to run while she still could? No, then she might get lost, and even so, he could most definitely outrun her... Perhaps she could call for Raoul? But she didn't even know where he was right now... Maybe if she waited it out long enough, he would come down to breakfast and find them, or perhaps someone else would...
Before she had time to decide for herself, he broke the silence. It looked as if she was staying and hoping for someone to come along. “S-since last night....” she said softly.
Suddenly, he became overwhelmed with emotions and took a few more steps toward her. She braced herself against the clock, but managed a quick nod in acknowledgment. The last thing she wanted to do was to upset him. What if he tried to kill her again?
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 23, 2012 19:28:16 GMT -5
Christine looked as if she were going to run, to get away from Erik as fast as she could. He must not let that happen. "Christine, please don't be afraid...I mean you no harm..." His voices was soft and soothing. He carefully reached out his hands to her, to take her hands, although as he was doing so, he realized his cold hands may startle her.
"Christine," Erik began, carefully, "where were you just before coming here? Were you in the opera house? I was also there...however I arrived a few months ago.."
Erik felt that his words fell flat. He felt awkward around Christine, wondering what had happened last. He knew that he must have frightened her for her body language did not match her words.
Erik wondered if he should try to take the guise of the Angel of Music. He knew she did not think him an angel in any way, but he meant the teaching factor. Perhaps she would respond to him again as a teacher...
Then Erik saw her back up and try to brace herself against the long case clock. He suddenly looked alarmed. "Christine, the clock could very well fall on you...it's not steady...come away from there before you hurt yourself..."
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on May 24, 2012 3:17:27 GMT -5
“How can you tell me that you mean no harm when you tried to kill me only last night? At the end of Il Muto...?” What had she done to upset the angel so? She really did now know why he would try to hurt her like that, but it had frightened her and she feared nothing more than he should try it again.
“Angel of Music, what have I done to upset you so? I did nothing wrong. I'm sorry. I didn't know what was behind your mask. Why do you punish me for disobeying rules I did not know to exist?”
She had continued backing up against the clock, not heeding what the masked man was saying until it was too late. She bumped up against it in just the wrong way not noticing that it was slowly tipping toward her.
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 24, 2012 19:13:58 GMT -5
Now Erik understood. It was a bad time for her to have been snatched from her life and come here. The chandelier! Not meant to kill, only to warn....and she had misunderstood. And yet, how could she have taken it any other way? True, he had been angry because Christine had pulled off his mask and seen his face, and yet he hadn't been trying to kill her...he had only been so angry that she would dare to remove the mask to see his hideous secret...
When Christine backed up into the long case clock, it became a bit unsteady and looked as if it would crush her. Erik quickly put his hands on the frame surrounding the glass over the face of the clock to hold it and keep it from falling. "Christine, move away!" he said, pushing the clock to a steady position. The chimes, weights and the pendulum hit each other, creating a dreadful cacaphony.
Once the clock was steadied again and the sound quieted, Erik turned to Christine. "Are you all right, my dear? Truly I have no wish for you to be hurt...not now...not then, when the chandelier fell. It was clearly a terrible mistake that it fell where it did. It was only a warning." His eyes looked pleading and he wanted so much to touch her hands, but he refrained. It was too early. Perhaps when she was over her fright.
"Christine, I simply wanted for the managers to give you your rightful place in the opera...the silent part of the page boy is much more suited to Carlotta. They had made a dreadful mistake. "
"You are my angel, with the most wonderful voice...I hope you will forgive me for any fright I have caused you." Erik was sincerely sorry for frightening her and truly hoped she would forgive him.
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on May 28, 2012 23:28:24 GMT -5
((sorry this has been taking so long. Grandma+power outages – Svenna muse = slow posts ))
Christine let out a shriek as there arose a clatter from the clock as it came crashing down and Lenoir caught it. She quickly got out of the way and rushed toward the north wall, bracing herself against it. Everything is going to be all right, Christine she silently tried to convince herself.
She looked back over at the Angel who had steadied the clock and prevented it from falling and crushing her, and he began to speak “A warning?” she asked, a bit unsure what to think at this point. If he wanted her dead like what had been suggested by the chandelier, then why had he just saved her from being crushed by the tipping clock? “What sort of a warning?”
When he continued to speak, she was made to remember all of the time she had spent in lessons where he would tell her similar things, about how she had the voice of an angel, or that the managers should put her in a better position. She had always just smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, but she had never thought him completely serious. But now...
“I....” she didn't know how to answer. She looked at him, utterly confused. She wasn't sure who he was or what to think of him any more...
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on May 29, 2012 17:40:08 GMT -5
"Yes, Christine, a warning...not to you, but to the managers who chose to cast Carlotta over you for the part in Il Muto. It was merely a warning. They know nothing of music and their casting choices were not good for the opera. I had asked them nicely to make the changes I requested and they did not do it. I wanted to show them that I was serious about my requests. Perhaps I went a bit far..." Erik really didn't think, at the time, that he had gone too far with the chandelier, for he had been so wrapped up in his anger that he purposely made the chandelier fall. Now looking back, perhaps something less drastic would have done as well, for he had frightened poor Christine. Yet, something drastic needed to be done and it was exhilarating watching the huge chandelier fall...until the moment when he saw it head for where Christine was...he held his breath until he knew that she was all right. Yes, she had taken his mask off and he was angry, but still, he didn't want to see her hurt, at least at that point. He hoped he had convinced Christine now...that he certainly not meant to hurt her.
"Christine, please don't be afraid of me. I am your teacher, your Angel....you are my Angel..." finally he got the courage to reach his hands toward her, intending to take her hands, then he pulled back again slowly remembering that his cold hands may startle her. She had accepted his cold touch while mesmerized but she wasn't in that state now. And he wasn't intending to mesmerize her now unless he really had to. He hoped she might forgive him the anger he had shown her in the lair after she curiously pulled off his mask. He had been angry and rough with her. He made up his mind to treat her carefully and well. He had learned his lesson. She was a special person...
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on Jun 4, 2012 15:19:58 GMT -5
A warning to the managers not to cast Carlotta as the Countess? Well, they most certainly had done so anyway. She didn't mind, of course. She loved singing, but she was quite used to being in the silent role. After all, she was a ballerina and chorus girl – it was what was expected of her. And even so, they had ended up casting her in the role last minute, had they not?
“Yes,” she said plainly. “Yes, you did go a bit far. They had cast me at that point. The production went on, it was already finished – so why did they still need to be warned?” Christine pressed her lips together a little, looking a bit pinch-faced. She was curious for an answer, but feared that she may upset him again. She knew from experience that he had quite a temper when provoked...
He continued to speak and Christine's face softened a little. He was right in what he was saying. He was her teacher and 'Angel of Music' in a sense, even if he was a rather frightening angel... She kept her hands close to her though when he reached his hand out to her. She still wasn't quite sure she should trust him. Not after all that had happened and what Raoul had told her... “The Angel of Music...,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. How she had come to know and to love the thought of such a thing, ever since she was a child. Though now, it confused her. Could the same Angel also be so terribly harsh?
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on Jun 4, 2012 19:07:39 GMT -5
"The managers needed to be reminded that if they tried to do something like that again, casting someone against my express wishes, that it would not go well for them. They are incompetent and should not be running an opera house!" Here Erik's voice took on a bit of anger from the memory of what had happened and how the managers had defied him. But he focused again on Christine's lovely face and calmed himself. He did not want her to see him angry again; it would surely frighten her.
"Christine, I only wanted the best for you....I wanted you to sing upon the stage ... your voice is incredibly better than Carlotta's. Just because she had been there longer, that means nothing. You had the basic talent, and even before I taught you, you were much better than she. You must have confidence in yourself!" Erik was getting a bit carried away and he had begun to wonder how he could stop frightening Christine. What could he do to make her trust him?
"Christine, please my dear, sit down." He pulled out a chair for her at the large dining room table. He sat in the chair next to her, but pulled it just a bit away, so it was not so close, so she would not feel enclosed and that she could not escape. He decided to try to help her understand, if possible. He began slowly.
"Christine, when I first heard your voice and decided that I must teach you so that you could reach the zenith of your talents, I hid behind the mirror so that I would not frighten you. You understand now, why I did so. You understood the moment you pulled off my mask. I was angry, indeed, but you can understand, can't you? Of all of the things to do, that was the one thing I knew could not be explained. And your curiosity about it angered me. You can understand my anger, can't you?"
Erik closed his eyes and held his forehead in his hand for a moment. Then he looked over at her, his eyes full of anguish. "What can I do to show you how much I care for you?"
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on Jun 15, 2012 15:37:48 GMT -5
“But isn't it the managers' job to decide contracts and casting? They are the management of the opera, after all. What makes it yourdecision whether or not they are competent or incompetent enough to run an opera house?” She gasped upon realizing what she had said. You mustn’t upset him, Christine. Just leave as soon as you can. Raoul warned you that he was dangerous... “Monsieur....” She added, her voice softening again, trying to seem more polite than her initial words may have come off to hm.
Slowly, discretely, she began to inch away as he continued to speak, hoping that he wouldn't notice. She stopped however when he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit down. She could not leave now, or he would surely become upset... Hesitating, she made her way over to the chair and sat, biting her lips and glancing about the room uncomfortably. The last time that she had sat so close to him was as she held his mask in her hand, trembling as he took it from her...
“I... I don't. I don't understand. I was never trying to upset you. I was merely curious. I... I wanted to know the face of the Angel of Music... How could you expect me not to be curious?” And then he asked a question which made her stop altogether. What can I do to show you how much I care for you? Christine thought for a moment. She had certainly never expected to be asked such a question. “I... I'm not sure,” she said honestly.
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on Jun 15, 2012 18:03:31 GMT -5
Christine asserted that she had not meant to upset him by pulling off his mask; it was simply curiosity. "Of course I understand, Christine, but I would have shown you in good time. In good time....it was too soon. It is the one thing I feared..." He didn't finish his sentence, his voice simply dropped off. He didn't wish to speak of his face. It had ruined so many things for Erik...
When Christine asked if it were not the managers' perogative to decide who to hire and cast, Erik frowned. "If they show themselves to be bereft of any musical knowledge at all, Christine, I wanted to make sure that the best choices were made. I sent them letters first, you know, with kind suggestions of how they should move on this matter, long before they began to try my patience. And of course, it was never my intention to harm you in any way..."
"Surely you understand that I had your best interests at heart. I wished only for you to have the roles that Carlotta selfishly persuaded the managers that she must have, when or course she was so unqualified. " Erik wasnted desperately to take her hands in his and pull her toward him in a loving embrace. But he knew that would frighten her. If only she had not seen his face...
He tried again. "Christine...you know that we are not in Paris anymore...I am not sure exactly where we are, where this mansion is, I mean to say...but I am planning on refurbishing the opera house and we will have a chance to go back to our beloved music again. Most of us, in fact, I would say all of us, have some connection with opera, ballet...or music at least. I would hope that you would be willing to participate in such a venture... "
Erik then asked, "Have you met anyone besides myself from the past...from the Paris opera?" Erik hoped against hope that she had not met Raoul Christophe de Chagny...
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