Another Ghost? (Nate)

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

One warm evvening, after Edouard put Gustave to bed, he decided to look for Christine. He hadn't seen her for several days. It was strange. Certainly she seemed to be acquiring a new life here....and it was minus Edouard. He was not happy about that. Perhaps he had been too hard on her and she was rebelling by staying away from him. But that wasn't like her. She wasn't a rebel...at least he didn't think so. Of course that was before Lenoir got his talons into Christine.... she was probably with him bow. And there was no telling where they were.

Edouard decided to look for her. After assuring that Gustave was safely asleep, he locked the door of the suite and left to look about the place. He walked down a few halls and recognized the door to the Victorian sitting room, where he had found his wife and Lenoir together. The madman had almost killed him that time. And then he had given his ultimatum for her to stay away from Lenoir. Apparently it hadn't done a lot of good. He opened the door to the sitting room and lit the oil lamp on the table near the door. No one was there. He walked a bit into the room, the room with the large amount of garish knick-knacks and other things.

Edouard blew out the light and left the room. He continued down the corridor and then saw a rather fancy carved wooden door that he had never seen before. He opened it to a room which was large enough to disappear into the dark distance. He looked for a lamp at the door, but there was none. Instead, he found an electric switch, two buttons. He pushed one and the other came out as the lights came on.

The room was a saloon with a large carved wooden bar and tables and chairs on the other side. There were mirrors behind the bar and many bottles of liquor, anything one could imagine. Perhaps a drink or two would be in order. Edouard went behind the bar and chose a bottle of brandy and a glass. He stood behind the bar and poured a drink. He looked about the place. Everything looked very clean. Not a bit of dust anywhere. The mirrors were spotless. So were the glasses. Edouard smiled. Quite a nice atmosphere.

Edouard wasn't even aware of the entrance of another person....

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

It was a calm evening -- one of the ones that Nathanael preferred to stay in the lower levels of the manor for, as he was weaker with less sourse from wich to draw his energy from. In the lower levels though, there was lots of old wiring from when the place had first been wired for electricity, so there were things there he was able to do that he couldn't up above except for in the very stormiest of weather. Even with all of the electronics in the house, it wasn't enough for him to run off of constantly...

Besides, there was something down here which the suface levels cound not come close to offering him, and tht was the old bar and entertainment room where many bottles of alcoholic beverages still remained. Nate liked to come down here sometimes to have a drink and to spend some quality time with his oh-so-devouted love, rum. She was a beauty... He had kept the place quite nice and neat, as it made him feel almost as if he were still alive being there.

He had discovered one handy thing among all of the inconveniences which came with becoming a ghost, and that was that no matter how much he drank, he remained sober as an old woman at a church quilting meet. This meant that he could fully enjoy his drink without any of the possibly unpleasant side effects he had almost become accustomed to in life during his time as a sailor.

Nathanael was not used to any of the other ghastly residents joining him in this little habit of his, so he was a bit surprised when he went down to the old bar that particular evening to see a man standing behind the bar and pouring himself a drink.

With all of the electromagnetic radiation from the various electrical witing in the walls, he was able to beek himself nearly opaque here with little effort, but a faint shroud of smoke surrounded his footsteps as he walked. He made his way toward the bar. "I don't suppose I could trouble you to hand me that bottle over there," she said, his eyes shifting to the shelf where he kept the different varieties of rum. Of course, he was perfectly capable of getting it himself, but he wanted to see what this man's reaction would be.

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

Edouard looked up, somewhat startled to see a man standing at the bar. He asked Edouard to hand him a bottle of rum. The man indicated a certain bottle and Edouard removed it from the shelf and placed it in front of the man. The stranger was about four or so inches taller than Edouard, lean and with a swimmer's physique, muscular but lanky. He had dark hair and grey eyes. There was an air about him that reminded Edouard of something...he wasn't sure what.

"I didn't hear you come in, Monsieur," said Raoul sipping at his brandy. "You have a taste for rum?" He pointed to the label. "A good brand, Monsieur. A good choice. Care for a glass? " He picked up a clean glass and slid it over the bar to the newcomer.

Edouard regarded the stranger carefully. "I haven't seen you here before, Monsieur. Have you just come, of late?" He paused. "I just found this saloon tonight. I hadn't seen it before. And I thought I knew every room in the mansion. It still does surprise me every now and again though."

The stranger still hadn't said anything, except to ask for the bottle. Probably because Edouard hadn't given him a chance to say anything more. Edouard went around to the front of the bar and sat on a stool, a distance away from the man and finished his drink. He poured another and wondered who the stranger was.

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

Nathanael smiled in satisfaction as the man set the bottle in front of him. His grey eyes scanned over the man, studying him closely. There was something oddly familiar about him, like they had met a very, very long time ago...

He gave a half-assed shrug when the shorter man commented that he hadn't heard him enter. “It doesn't surprise me, honestly,” he said. “People seldom do nowadays. It seemed to become a little habit of mine.” He rolled his shoulders and swung his head a little in a sort of stretch before returning his focus upon the other man again.

He couldn't help but to chuckle when he asked if he had a taste for rum. Do I have a taste for rum... It was like asking if a Britt drank tea. He shook his head a little in amusement. “Would I care for a glass?... Yes, please!”

He flung his palm out before him in a gesture to sort of emphasize his words. “Oh, don't be surprised. It took me a good while to get used to this place... A few years, even, to be quite honest”

He set his hand down on the bar in order to catch the glass as it slid, but it ended up going just beyond his reach and sliding a bit into his hand. “Damn...” he muttered to himself, moving his hand out of the side of the cup and closing his eyes trying to focus more energy from the storm so he could become more solid.

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

Edouard felt the man eyeing him, probably in curiousity. He in turn, glanced at the man wondering who he was. But he would let the man introduce himself in his own good time.

The man caught the glass that Edouard slid down the bar and then said that it had taken him a few years to get used to this place. Edouard raised an eyebrow and took another drink from his glass. "Oh? You've been here quite some time? Interesting. I have been here nigh on six months and haven't come across you. Of course, I hadn't found this saloon either until tonight. Quite a place. Most of the rooms in this mansion seem quite inviting...except when I first arrived. Filthy as hell. Someone's been busy, apparently."

The man acted a bit strangely, closing his eyes as if concentrating on something. Edouard did not interrupt his reverie this time. He sat drinking in silence, not really having anything to say, but not feeling awkward or strange around this fellow either. It was good to meet someone in the manor who appreciated good liquor as much as Edouard did. Some of the people here looked down their noses at drinking. It had never hurt Edouard. It hadn't caused any of his disagreements with Emilie. Of course it hadn't helped either, but that was beside the point.

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

Nathanael gave a low chuckle, shaking his head a bit when the other man said that he had been here six months and had not yet come across him. “I generally prefer to keep to myself, so it doesn't surprise me. Nope. This place I generally keep after myself. I don't usually have.... visitors. It's nice to see someone else here that appreciates a good drink for a change.”

Nate took the glass, making sure that his grip was firm and that his hand was solid, and swigged down his rum. “Ahahahahaha..... My good friend... My good friend, it has been some time...” He turned back to the mortal one. “Well go ahead, There's plenty here. What do you have a taste for?”

He set the glass back down in the table and held his hand out. “Nathanael Paul Javert, but my mates call me Nate. Pleasure to meet you.”

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

"Yes, likewise," said Edouard, as the man extolled his appreciation for the drink. The man said he didn't usually have visitors and he kept to himself. "It is quite an immense place. I expect that many people could be here and if they're quiet, others would never even know. Well, it's good to meet someone who isn't a Phantom." Edouard laughed. His words sounded rather strange said out loud. "Have you met any of them...the Phantoms I mean....and any one of the other numerous people with the same names? You do know about that, don't you, how some of us have been brought here against our wills and we can't leave? Of course, you must have. I suppose you're one of us, too. "

Edouard was running off a bit at the mouth as he tended to do when drinking. He was in a good mood too. "I had no idea there was a saloon here at all. It's quite a nice surprise. Now I can come here and Emilie won't be able to say a word, because she won't even know where I am." He laughed again.

Then the man asked what he had a taste for. Edouard frowned. He had been drinking for a while now and the bottle was in front of him and the glass in his hand. Was the fellow drunk or did he need spectacles? Or perhaps Edouard hadn't heard him correctly. But he answered jovially and waved his glass in the direction of the other man. "Brandy is my drink. Although I am rather partial to whiskey or gin on occasion."

Then the man introduced himself as Nathanael Paul Javert, known as Nate. "Pleased to meet you, Nate," answered Edouard. "I am Raoul Edouard de Chagny, known to my friends as Edouard, especially because there are a pack of Raouls in the mansion." He laughed. He hadn't given his title, thinking it a bit pretentions to do so. Edouard could be pretentions on occasion, but with this man, he didn't want to be. He had a good feeling about him, thinking perhaps he could be a friend. He hadn't too many friends at the mansion, several women, and Raoul Christophe was somewhat of a friend. But they often didn't see eye to eye. Edouard wanted to know more about this fellow.

"Are you a singer, dancer or musician? Most of those here are so, or are connected to the opera in some way. How is it that you are here?"

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

((Sorry XD That was a fail on my part. I waited too long to reply and then forgot you'd already mentioned what he was drinking lol))

Nate gave a sort of half smile when the man said that it was good to meet someone who wasn't a phantom. Being a ghost, after all, he was really a phantom himself. “Oh, I've met plenty of 'phantoms' about here, though I hate to be the one to disappoint you by saying you may not want to jump to such conclusions...”

Nate grinned, not out of drunkenness, but out of the sheer joy of finally having another man, not only to talk with, but to enjoy a good drink with as well. He was still quite the sailor at heart and rather missed having his shipmates around at times. “Fine choice, brandy. You have excellent taste in spirits, Monsieur.”

The man went on to introduce himself. Nate could not help but to give a chuckle. “Raoul de Chagny, eh? I knew a 'Raoul de Chagny' once. Finest Captain I ever sailed under, he was, too! Called him good ol' Campanini, but left the navy for some girl – 'She whose sudden light dazzles at that window and makes the pale stars glitter in the firmament” He chuckled, shaking his head, and then let out a bit of a sigh. “I wonder what ever happened to that fellow...”

Nate quirked a brow when the man asked him how he was here. “Singer, I most certainly am not. Dancer, again, no. I am a musician of sorts, but I most certainly have never in any way been connected to the opera... As to how I came here, it's difficult to say, really...”

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

The man wasn't giving Edouard any really straight answers. Or perhaps that could be explained by the fact that Edouard had been drinking a while now. Sometimes his thought processes didn't quite work the way they were meant to ... after a few brandies. Or perhaps the other man just was saying things in an odd way. What he said about the Phantoms simply didn't make any sense. But either way, Edouard didn't really care. The fellow seemed pleasant enough.

When complimented on his good choice in spirits, Edouard smiled. "Merci beaucoup, Monsieur. It has always been my drink of choice. Although I am not averse to other choices. Rum, however, has not been my taste really. When I was on board ship, I was in the Navy also, most of my shipmates favoured rum. I never did."

Then the man said that the de Chagny he knew had left the navy for some girl. "I did too, Monsieur. I left the service for a girl. Would her name happen to be Christine Daaé, a Swedish singer?" Edouard knew most if not all the Raouls had been involved at some point with a Christine Daaé, so he was bound to be correct.

"And Monsieur, you may bot have to wonder much longer what happened to de Chagny. You just may find him here, at the mansion. " He continued in another vein. "So you have nothing to do with the opera? Not even as a patron? Interesting. Most of those I have met have at least a slim connection with the opera." He left it at that.

"So you don't know how you came here?" Edouard laughed. "Neither do I really. I had brought my wife and son to Coney Island....that's in America.... for her to sing at some type of amusement park. It wasn't my idea, but she wanted to get back into music, so I relented. That night we went to bed and the next morning when I awoke, I was here, in the mansion. It was quite frightening. I eventually did find my wife and son here, thank goodness, but it was hell until I did. "

Edouard looked a the clothing the man was wearing. He was sure he wasn't from the strange future that the villagers lived in. But he thought he would ask anyway. "You're not from the village, are you? The future...it's a bit of a hard pill to swallow, really. Although some of the innovations are rather interesting. But it's altogether frightening. And I expect even more so to some of the other residents."

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

((Sorry this took so long for me to write. I'm still getting used to Nate, so this was a really long post for him yet ))

“Not your taste?” Nate repeated with a bit of shock, as he looked up for a brief moment from his glass. “Pity, really...” And then he took another sip and mused for a while on what he had said, stroking his goatee as if he were deep in thought.

“Daaé... Christine Daaé... The name rings a bell, but I couldn't tell you for sure if that were it. It has, after all, been quite a few years...” And then the other said that he may not have to wait much longer to find out what ever became of Raoul de Chagny, at which, Nathanael stopped stroking his chin, and raised his eyebrows in a sort of amused surprise.

“Really, you say?...”

His eyes changed focus to the wall for a moment, as if he seemed to be deep in thought, brooding over some idea that had just entered his mind. The man told him that he was not exactly sure how he had come to be in this place either, a statement to which Nate wasn't really surprised. A few of the other spirits in the manor had been up to some mischief, bringing here characters from the recently deceased owner's collection of various books and moving pictures. He couldn't fathom why though. No, instead he preferred to just keep on keeping on...

He chuckled a bit at the man's questions. “No, no, I'm not from the village... nor from the future, I believe, though who knows what the future is any more in this bizarre place...”

With this being said, Nate downed the last of his glass of rum and looked at it with an almost melancholic expression, as if to say 'Why must you ever run out?...'

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

Glad to have found a man that liked to drink as much as he did, Edouard did wonder about this fellow. He was still not really giving straight answers. And he didn't seem to know any of the Christine Daaés. Who the hell was he? Again, he said he was not a villager and not from the future. However, he did know one of the Raoul de Chagnys. Obviously not himself. Edouard was having some trouble focusing his eyes, let alone his thoughts.

An odd thought did occur to him though. Before coming to the mansion, Edouard had staunchly disbelieved in ghosts or phantoms. Well, phantoms maybe, the men who said they were phantoms, but in truth were flesh and blood. The Opera Phantom had never fooled him. He had been sure all of t he hijinks at the Populaire were simply done by a crazed maniac, but a man, not a ghost. And it turned out that Edouard was correct.

However, since coming to the mansion he had met a fellow who deemed himself King William, and Edouard had discovered him to truly be a ghost. A strange spectre from many years ago who wore futuristic clothing and had an odd sense of humour, this fellow had proved to Edouard that he was a ghost. Of course Edouard had been somewhat drunk then also, so he hadn't believed a word later on. But the others spoke of ghosts...could this fellow be a spectre?

"So are you some sort of spectre?"

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

Nathanael laughed again, setting his glass down on the bar counter when Edouard asked his question. So are you some sort of spectre? He should have expected to be found out eventually. After all, there were limitations to how human he could remain as a ghost...

“You've got me,” he said, resting his elbows on the counter and then lacing his fingers together before resting his head atop his hands. He did like this man though. There weren't very many people he'd come across recently who shared his love for the bottle. It was nice to have someone to drink with for a change, not that he was at all opposed to it being just him and the rum. “Does that surprise you?”

Nate raised his eyebrows as he looked at the other man, studying him. “And you? What are you? One of those people the others wanted to pull from that odd man's collection?”

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

Edouard's eyebrows rose slowly in surprise. "You are a spectre? You're really a ghost?" He laughed. I must be more drunk than I thought. Now I'm seeing things. And tell me, why would a spectre wish to drink rum? I find that oddly strange. ... Or strangely odd...or something like that." His words were getting confused as they came out. And the other man had been drinking as long as he had and he was perfectly fine. Perhaps he was a spectre. However, Edouard rather like the man. Or whatever he was. There weren't too many places he could go at the mansion where he wouldn't get some sort of lecture or nasty looks when he was drunk. He had as much right to drink as anyone else.

Then Nate said another surprising thing. He asked what Edouard was. Certainly an odd thing to ask. Nate asked if he were one of those people the others wanted to pull from that odd man's collection? "Collection?" asked Edouard. I am sure I don't know what you are talking about." He stifled a hiccup and then went on. "I am not in a collection. You cannot collect me. And I don't belong to any odd man, whatever that means." Now Edouard was thoroughly confused, if h e hadn't been before.

[Nathanael Paul Javert]

Nathanael raised an eyebrow in a sort of amusement. The alcohol was obviously taking its toll on his new found friend, but he found it mildly amusing. “You don't believe me, Monsieur? Well perhaps you've good reason, but unfortunately no.... No, I'm afraid I'm telling you the truth... Why would a spectre drink rum, hmmm? Why would a spectre drink rum... Well, why would a man drink rum?” She gave a low chuckle, shaking his head a bit.

Then he cleared his throat a little, somewhat regaining his composure, and responded to Edouard's question about the 'collection' he'd mentioned. “The collection of the previous owner – sorry, previous living owner – that kook king has been digging through... You're one of them that he brought here?”

[Raoul Edouard de Chagny]

"Yes indeed, I understand. Why would a spectre drink rum? Well, I expect for the sheer pleasure of it. But still I find it odd. Why is it that I always meet spirits when I am drinking spirits?" He laughed at his own witticism, or so he thought it was. "Meeting spirits when I am drinking spirits...ah that is so good." He laughed again. Then he became serious and tried to understand what Nate was saying.

"You're talking in riddles, my friend," said Edouard. He had no idea what the man meant when he said that he was from a collection of a previous owner and that someone called the Kook King had brought him there. Edouard frowned. Kook King? Kook King? What did that even mean? "Nate, my good friend, what the hell is a Kook King and what are you bloody talking about?"