Magnificent and Stupid (Erik Lavalais)

[Christine Daaé]

It had been a while since her encounter with Monsieur Lenoir in the opera. While she was not nearly as paranoid about the entire place as she once had been, she was still a bit put off by it. There was some sort of heavy air here which made her feel uneasy even without the demons or madmen, or anyone else who may have tormented her previously. And despite the fact that she was there with her fiancé and with her adoptive mother, she still couldn't help to feel a bit... lonely..... empty..... lost.....

She walked silently through the halls of the manor, no real destination set in mind. Raoul had taken up a job in the village in order to try to earn enough money for them to have passage away from here and another place to stay, and enough to wed, and Mamma Valérius was resting, so the girl really had no one to speak to unless by some chance she happened upon one of the other inhabitants of the manor.

She was on the staircase, heading down toward the library, around six o'clock in the evening. She hadn't eaten dinner yet, and planned to have something light after doing a bit of reading in order to pass the time. Because of the summer months, it was still light outside for a bit longer, and the last few rays of the sub crept in through one of the windows with its gossamer coat of dust that seemed permanently set in order to make it impossible to see fully through.

[Erik Lavalais]

It was all ready..all Erik had to do was find her. He'd been working all day, making preparations for a surprise he wanted to give to Christine. He stopped himself in the hallway, checking his appearance in a small mirror hanging above a hall table with a vase. He looked an utter mess...

He fixed his hair, brushing it back neatly and shoving it into a ponytail, then he straightened out his cravat and shirt, making himself neat again. He smoothed out his waistcoat, tugged his jacket on a little tighter, and fixed his gloves before smirking at his own reflection and walking on. He had to admit it. With the mask on, he could pass as one handsome devil.

He tried to remember the way to her room...he'd passed it before, and thought perhaps she'd be there. But before he even reached the corridor he saw someone ahead of him in the hallway...a...a blonde! Christine!

"Christine! Hello!" Erik's voice was happier than usual as he walked briskly toward her. This was it. It was now or never...

[Christine Daaé]

((Suckish post is suckish. Sorry. There's a blonde on my right watching Dora the Explorer and doing annoying orange impressions …))

Christine hadn't been paying much attention at all to her surroundings, other than the occasional glance when she thought that she had seen a shadow begin to move out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help still being a bit paranoid after all that had happened there. There was no doubt in her mind that she was far from being safe there, but at least she had managed to overcome her paranoia enough to sleep and to eat almost regularly.

She hadn't noticed that anyone there on the stair until she heard a voice and nearly jumped up at the sound of it. She looked to see a very tall masked man walking toward her and flinched a little at first glance. She still had difficulty telling apart the Érik she knew from before, and Monsieur Lavalais whom she had met there at the manor. At a first glance, the two were nearly identical...

While she now knew it was impossible that Érik was behind this (which had been a bit difficult of a concept for her to come to terms with) it was still somewhat dangerous if she were to come across him unprepared. He seemed to believe that the two of them were engaged, and if he discovered the plans that she and Raoul had been making for the wedding, he would surely have been upset... The only question now was, who was this? Érik, or Monsieur Lavalais?

“I'm sorry, you... yo gave e a bit of a start,' she said, cocking her head just a bit to the side and examining him closely. 'I was not expecting to meet anybody here...” Oh good, she thought to herself. His hair was longer. That meant that it was, in fact, Monsieur Lavalais and not Érik. “Good evening, Monsieur.”

[Erik Lavalais]

"How are you?" Erik's voice was light, happy. His usual melancholy state had evaporated as soon as he'd spotted her, and it showed in his body language. "I've got a bit of a surprise for you, actually...I think you might like it...."

Erik looked at her. She looked like she was doing well, and he hoped that that was the case. The waning sun shone through the window, and he observed that it hit her hair at such an angle to make it shine like there was a halo coming off of her...how appropriate...she was a little angel...He smiled slightly beneath his mask. Perhaps, if all went well, he might soon be calling her his little angel...

But he couldn't think about that right now. He had to focus. He had to get her to follow him.

[Christine Daaé]

“I am better than I have been recently,” Christine replied truthfully. She was still rather frightened by the prospect of them being so very far from home, but at least she was more calm than the past few weeks had been.

She tilted her head a little when he told her that h had a surprise for her. “A surprise?” she asked with some curiosity. “What sort of a surprise exactly?” She certainly hadn't been expecting anything. The two of them hadn't spoken in some time, not since the vigil at least. It had been a couple of months. She had seen him in passing, but never made much conversation other than a polite 'hello' to acknowledge his presence...

"You seem rather dressed up. What is the occasion, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Erik Lavalais]

"Well, I thought it was customary to keep surprises a secret?" Erik held out his hand, inviting her to walk with him. "In any case, as I said, I do believe that you will like it." He turned his head, looking behind him anxiously.

"As to my outfit, it is part of the surprise. I thought it would add to the effect. It's taken me a while to get it up to standard, which is why I've been so scarce around the manor...I hate to think it may seem that I've been ignoring you...?" Erik had been worried about that. It had been a couple of months since their last true encounter, besides saying hello in the halls, and he didn't want her to think that he wasn't interested in her as a person. In truth, he'd been so busy with this surprise that he'd been consumed in working on it the entire time. He'd spent months on it, so he hoped it would be successful...

[Christine Daaé]

((fail post is fail .-.))

Christine couldn't help shaking her head wile giving a light little chuckle when Monsieur Lavalais spoke about secrets. “Yes, yes, I suppose you're right.... It really was very kind of you to think of me though. I can't imagine what you must be up to...” It seemed a bit odd, really. They didn't know each other very well, and so she wondered to herself what sort of a surprise it could possibly be...

“Oh! No, no, no, it's fine. I haven't thought that you've been ignoring me at all. It is a very big place. Honestly, it doesn't shock me that encounters, unless planned, are so infrequent here, all things considered.” The girl gave a quick shrug. “It would seem as though by luck meeting you though, considering your apparent 'surprise'.... You were looking for me?”

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik offered his arm to Christine, hoping she'd take it. "Indeed, I was looking for you, but I didn't expect to find you so soon. I've been working for a while on this." Erik led her down the corridors until they reached the doors to the back gardens and greenhouse.

He strolled with her down the path until the large greenhouse he'd been slaving over came into sight. He grinned at the product of all his hard work. The brilliant greenhouse was now in nearly perfect condition. All he had to do was fix up the benches in a few of the rooms. Beside that, the flowers were all planted, the glass panels had been cleaned and fixed, the wrought iron had been scrubbed clean of rust, and the fountains had been restored to working order. But there was a special surprise that Erik had for Christine.

[Christine Daaé]

Christine accepted Monsieur Lavalais' arm as they continued to walk, wondering what it was exactly that he could have been working on for so long. It was, in fact, very thoughtful of him to make a surprise for her, but from the way that he described it, it seemed as if she had gone through quite a bit of trouble to do so. She couldn't imagine why he would go so out of his way for her like that...

The girl's eyes widened a little when the greenhouse came into sight. She had never seen the thing before, as she had rarely been outside the doors of the manor since she had first arrived there. She stared for a moment in wonder at the site. “What is this place?,” she asked in awe. “I've never seen this part of the manor before...”

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik smiled. She seemed happy. "This is the greenhouse. I've been working on it for months. I'm rather happy with the outcome, I've finally figured out how this European plumbing works...so the fountains can work. The only thing that must be done is that the fountains must be turned on. Perhaps you'd like to help me turn them on?"

If she said yes, that would take them STRAIGHT to his little set-up by the honeysuckle...If she said no, he'd find another excuse. Somehow, he had to get her to that room. He had to get her there, so she could see all the work he'd put into this. He needed her to see...he needed her to know...

But maybe she'd reject him...NO, he had to let her know, he had to man up and take whatever consequences that meant. She had to know.

[Christine Daaé]

Christine listened as Monsieur Lavalais spoke, looking around at the glorious array of plants around her. It was almost like a jungle, it was so full of life! It was simple astonishing! She had never seen so many different varieties of plants and flowers before. The site was really a very pretty one., and her blue eyes sparkled, all aglow with the spectacle.

When she asked his question, she turned to face him. “I... I don't know... is it very difficult? I can't say I've ever turned on fountains before. I'm sure they will be lovely though, with water running through them.” There were quite a few of the fountains about, all looking as if they had been recently cleaned, or were fairly new. She was familiar with 'European plumbing' in the sense that she used it every day, but she had never been aware really of how it worked. One of the maintenance men at the opera had mentioned it briefly to her once, but it seemed rather complicated – to her it did, at least.

[Erik Lavalais]

"It's alright, all you have to do is flip one switch." Erik smiled. As soon as she flipped the switch, all of the fountains would turn on and a little architectural secret he'd built into the greenhouse would open. He'd taken a little time out of his schedule to create a special alcove for this occasion. A small panel in the ivy covered wall would open into a glass enclosure, much like a gazebo. He was excited, for he thought she really would like it.

Or at least, he hoped that she would like it. As exciting as all this was, it was also nerve-racking. He'd never tried anything like this before, as romantic ventures weren't his forte. He wasn't sure if she'd reject him or not, but...he may as well try, right?

[Christine Daaé]

Christine nodded after Monsieur Lavalais explained to her what he would need to do to turn on the fountains. It seemed simple enough just to flip a switch. She really was curious to see what all of it would look like with the water running through the fountains.

“I think that I can manage that much,” she said in reply. “Where is this switch exactly?” She looked around the garden at all of the greenery, and then back to Monsieur Lavalais. She didn't see any switches around, but then again, that was probably on purpose. Why would anyone wish to ruin such a gorgeous landscape with an obvious and ugly switch?

[Erik Lavalais]

"This way." Erik smiled, drawing her to the far side of the room, by the ivy-covered secret panel. The switch was inconspicuous, hidden under foliage, made only for those who knew where it was. Erik pulled back the foliage, revealing the switch. It wasn't so much of ugly as it was...modern. It looked like the switches in some of the stranger parts of the manor, the ones that harboured electrical devices and strangely shaped appliances.

"This switch, right here." He let her take over. He wasn't really one to give up control of something, but...for her. Yes. For her, he'd give her control of a situation. Possibly because he really did trust her, even if they hadn't known each other for a very long time, as most friends do. But was he even qualified to call her "friend"? He wasn't sure, but at least in his mind, she was his friend.

[Christine Daaé]

((Fail post is fail Sorry.))

Christine followed Monsieur Lavalais to the far side of the room. She didn't see any sort of a switch, or lever, or knob at first, but then he drew back some of the ivy along the wall to reveal a switch which had been concealed beneath the foliage. It looked terribly modern, and the girl wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first. She still did not entirely trust all of these modern appliances and such within the manor.

He told her that it was, in fact, the switch, and she looked at him for a moment before returning her focus of attention to the previously hidden device. Cautiously, she reached out and turned the switch, wondering what would follow when she did. She looked back out toward the fountain to see if the water would start.