Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 12, 2012 15:54:46 GMT -5
Raoul walked through the hallways dressed in a brown three-piece suit and an orange necktie. Tucked under his arm was a notebook. He had been using it to keep track of where in the mansion he had been as well as how long he had been here. It had been several months, and within those months he had met an older version of himself, Christine, and the man who would ultimately steal her from him. It was enough to drive a man mad, but if he would hang onto anything in this dreadful place, it was his mind. It was all he had left—his mind and his desire to succeed, to earn back that which he had previously been entitled to.
He had taken on two jobs in his time here and was going to the university in order to become an attorney. He had not considered the career until coming here—after he had left the navy, he hadn’t known what else he wanted to do with his life. He had believed at the time that the best thing to do was to invest in the opera to expand his social connections and get to know other members of the nobility, which had pleased Philippe as he wanted to marry him off. Then when he went to the Populaire’s gala he had heard Christine sing and had fallen in love with her all over again.
And now he was trying and failing to fall out of love with her. The older version of her had given him ample reason to believe that she had only married him for money. Even after seeing how his life would have played out had he stayed in Paris, he doubted that she had ever loved him. Yet the only reason he struggled to regain his fortune was for her, in hope that she would love him then. He was a romantic fool, and he knew it. This would do him more harm than good.
He opened the door to the kitchen and began making himself a sandwich, setting the notebook on the table. As he finally sat down and waited for his tea to boil, he began to draw the beginnings of the blueprints of a ship. He often did draw—amateurishly of course—pictures of ships when he wasn’t working. Sometimes he wondered if he would have been better off keeping his commission. Odds are he wouldn’t have been in this mess.
After finishing the lunch and tea he started wandering the mansion again. Perhaps he would go to the library and read something—or maybe he could work on his drawing there. He wished there was something better for him to do—aside from drawing pictures and working. The working was barely getting him anywhere. He had only gotten a few commissions and the piano playing job was just a bit of extra money on the side. He considered himself a good broker, but there just weren’t enough people in the village that needed life insurance. And yet his boss praised him for his hard work.
It wasn’t working that bothered him, just that it would take him years to get even close to the amount wealth he had had since he was born. He would love to start his own business—it would be a legitimate way of making money, he would be his own boss, and he would have a great deal of influence—but that required more money, which was what he was trying to get. If he did do something, it would probably have something to do with the navy. Perhaps he could go into shipbuilding? That is, once he figured out what ships navies used in 2012.
He arrived at the library and sat in an armchair, continuing to draw. He had given up all hope of returning to Paris. For now he would simply have to deal with his lot in life and try to make the best of it, try to achieve his ambition. He had plenty of ambition all right, but he had his doubts as to how easy it would be to reach his goals.
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 12, 2012 17:01:29 GMT -5
Raoul Edouard de Chagny walked through the mansion this morning, wondering vaguely where Christine was. She still obsessed him, as well as her pursuer, Erik Lenoir. He wondered where that monster was too.
Dressed in a dark blue suit that always made Edouard feel natty, it was complimented by his light blue ascot and matching waistcoat. He had just had breakfast and was bored, so he decided that a walk to keep tabs on Christine was in order.
Edouard hadn't put much thought into anything really, since coming here, except his thoughts of trying to find a way out, wondering where Gustave was, and obsessing over Christine and Lenoir's little affair. He was becoming bored though and wished he had a little hobby or something to occupy his time.
Edouard passed the corridor leading to the library and stopped. Perhaps a good read would help his boredom. He walked down the corridor and opened one of the large doors to the room. He entered and saw that his younger counterpart was there, sitting in a chair, drawing something.
"Bon jour, Christophe," he said jovially. "How are you today? I am rather bored and looking for something to do. Perhaps a good book will fill the void."
Edouard was in a talkative mood. "You wouldn't happen to have seen Christine or Lenoir, would you? I can't seem to find either of them and I wanted to make sure she is keeping her promise to me not to see him anymore. The man bloody irritates me. "
Edouard walked about the library looking for something interesting to read and he was momentarily stopped by the forbidding looking faces gazing down at him from the ancient paintings on the wall. Most of them were just plain frightening. He continued his search and found a coppy of the German epic poem "Nibelungenlied" from the 12th century. He h adn't read that since his school days and so he plucked it from the shelf and sat down at the table, opening it.
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 13, 2012 13:33:55 GMT -5
Raoul looked up from his drawing when the older version of himself entered the library. He was caught off guard at first by his calling him Christophe, but he supposed it would be odd for him to call himself Raoul. “Hello.” he answered shortly with a nod, setting the drawing aside and sitting up in his chair. He had not seen the man since their first meeting in the kitchen, when he had been drunk and had explained to him that he was the Vicomte from the future. He had been horrified and in disbelief then, but by now he had come to accept it.
That did not mean he planned on fulfilling this future—on the contrary. He had not imbibed a drop of alcohol since meeting his older self, and he didn’t plan on gambling anytime soon, even if it looked like easy cash. It wasn’t, especially since his older self was so much in debt. He was doing everything in power to keep that from happening, and was trying to regain some of the respect and wealth he had had back in Paris, but it was proving to be a difficult task. He was starting from the ground up so to speak.
At his question, he raised an eyebrow. “Promised you not to see him anymore?” He shouldn’t have been surprised at his paranoia given that she had bailed him out as well as himself. He wondered if Edouard knew about that. “A few weeks ago—I’ve been trying to avoid them both frankly.” he answered, waving a hand. “And he irritates you, you said? That man disgusts me. He’s a criminal, a threat to society.” he replied acerbically. “He attacked me in the village when I was on my way to inquire about a job. I almost lost it because of him—we were thrown in prison for fighting and I had to call your wife to get me out…however the woman had to go and free him as well. What in God’s name was she thinking?” He should have known that she would have done it, she didn’t give a hang about him. As soon as he mentioned Erik she probably rushed there intent on bailing him out, and had only paid for his freedom as an afterthought. And she had the nerve to chastise him for fighting back. It was a wonder how he ever felt anything for that woman, but he did—and he still did, which was why he hated himself for it.
He sighed after giving his explanation, and after calming down, noticed what Edouard was reading. “Ah, Nibelungenlied? I rather enjoyed that when I was younger.” he commented. “And you said you were bored? Perhaps you should try and find a job…I know it may seem silly but we’re stuck here forever, and if we ever want to get anywhere near to what we once were then we’ll have to work for it, and keep working…” Till the day I die, no doubt.
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 13, 2012 18:25:29 GMT -5
Edouard settled himself in a comfortable chair with his book, but didn't open it. "Yes, Lenoir disgusts me too. Certainly a criminal and a wife-stealer. He has Christine just wrapped about his little finger. I can't see what she sees in that ugly monster. The only thing he has going for his is his voice...I have to admit, it is rather spectacular. But trying to pull the wool over all of our eyes and the opera going public too...well, at least he was found out for the evil fellow he is, although he did get away after the actor's murder. If I could find a way to lock him up for good, I would do it." Edouard looked up at his younger counterpart. "I say, have you heard tell of a dungeon in this place? I overheard someone mention that there is a dungeon. Do you suppose we could confine him down there...for good perhaps?" Edouard looked very pleased with the idea.
"And yes, Christine has promised me not to see him any more, and not to speak to him except in passing. I told her she may greet him, nothing more. And she is not to tarry about him by any means.
"He attacked you," said Edouard. He leaned forward. "Why? And why, may I ask were you with him? That is truly asking for trouble. He almost killed me. I would run the other way when I see him unless I am armed with a large axe..." Edouard stopped abruptly when Christophe mentioned that Christine had bailed the two of them out of gaol. "She bailed him out as well? My wife practically ran to him to bail him out of gaol? I shall have to speak to her. I had no idea." He was quiet for a moment. "What was he like when you were there t0gether? Did he try to hurt you again?"
Then Edouard paused again. "
"A job, you say?" He wrinkled his nose and frowned. "How plebian, Christophe. I think not. There must be another way to make some money. However, here we don't have to worry about much, I am of the opinion that I really don't need to work. You shouldn't either, you know. Nobility and all..."
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 14, 2012 21:39:31 GMT -5
“Wife-stealer? So it is true…” His face paled considerably. “My God…she does love him…how long have you known about this? I mean…the Christine from ten years ago—was she the same? Did she feel the same way about him?” he asked worriedly. Surely—surely all of his efforts weren’t for naught. He knew that she had kissed him when he had been hanging in Erik’s lair, but that had been to save him, had it not? He nodded in agreement when Edouard said that he would like to find a way to lock Erik up for good. “He has a penchant for being able to escape. If only she hadn’t bailed him out…and if only they had believed me when I said he was dangerous! A dungeon? If we played our cards right, that could work…if we put him away forever…”
“Yes…I agreed to walk him to town—only so that he wouldn’t harm anyone else.” Raoul explained when the older man asked him why he was with Erik. “And the man attacked me, just like that. I should say I injured him quite a bit. I left him bloodied and emerged from our fight unscathed.” he boasted proudly. “And I warned him that if he ever went near my Christine then he would have to deal with worse. I have to find a way to lock him up. I can’t let him destroy her mind—like he’s done to your wife. I…I can’t lose her.”
He nodded. “She did. I haven’t a clue why. I suspect that…forgive me, that he may have done something to her mind. Because honestly, no one would really…” He shook his head, unable to complete the sentence because he didn’t want to think about it any longer. She couldn’t love him. The Christine he knew—the one who was kind, and pure, and good could never love a monster. He looked up at his question and shrugged. “He stole the guard’s keys a few times—but he didn’t attack me. And I made sure that he wouldn’t harm her.” Impossible as the woman was, he wasn’t going to allow Lenoir to hurt her. “He’d be foolish to try again. I gave him a beating before.”
“I know—I don’t like the arrangement myself, Edouard, but I don’t have much of a choice.” he replied in exasperation to the other man’s reaction to his having a job. “They threw me in prison like any other commoner—my rank, my standing had no jurisdiction here. Through earning more money…I think that I will be able to get some of that power back. It’s taking far longer than I had hoped…not only that, but—this money, this power is one thing that he can’t have. And it will send her running straight back to me. I can give her security that he could never duplicate.” he stated smugly, though really all he was trying to do was convince himself that this was true. He paused for a few moments, completely silent and deep in thought before asking suddenly, "Was...was marrying her worth it? Was all of this worth it? I just...I would like to know so that I don't end up making a mistake. I always thought that--if I ever met her again and if she did feel as I did then we would be happy for the rest of our lives, but since meeting your wife...frankly the future vexes me to no end."
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 18, 2012 17:12:09 GMT -5
"You know, Christophe, I can't say that Erik gave us any trouble after we left his lair. He wasn't about anywhere, so really, until now, I couldn't call him a wife-stealer. Since we all arrived here, he has started to see her on the sly. I told you I caught them kissing. But for the ten years of our marriage, I never saw him. And I don't really suspect that she ran off to see him. It would have been impossible. "
"And yet, there was always that shadow that he cast over our marriage. I can't explain it. It seemed, after she kissed him in the lair...and I must say, I was surprised by that, but not really put out, for it was a kiss of pity for a very ugly old man who had a vicious and nasty personality...after she kissed him in the lair, she seemed to change. How could she have feelings for a man who was a liar, thief and a murderer. Why she pitied him? I don't know. Probably she thought the poor thing would never get anothe rkiss in his life."
"But then Christine began to change. I know she was thinking of him constantly. As she fell out of love with me, she fell more in love with im, even though he was not there. Quite an amazing feat, I would say. But true. How he managed it, I don't know. He must have mesmerized her. But she spoke of him to me so often that I bade her stop. And my dreams...they started shortly after our marriage. That's when things began to go bad.In my dreams, I always say him abducting her, mesmerizing her in some way and always taking her from me. I did not completely believe in the truth of them, not until we came here, and he began to seduce her in earnest. I could not believe that my Christine, my lovely girl, would fall for a monster like that!" The Vicomte shook his head in disgust.
"And that is the reason that I wish that I could lock up the rapscalion for good!"
"I've also considered that perhaps Erik did something to her mind and perhaps she is insane. She certainly does a lot of insane things. But I don't know. I know nothing of mesmerization and how one can force one's will upon another. What a wicked man he is to do such a thing."
"I've only had one short encounter with him here at the mansion when I caught him kissing my wife. He almost killed me at that point. I haven't really spoken whith him at all outside of in the lair and then that one time recently. I have no other impression of him except that he is very wicked and will take what he wants unless someone stops him. What did you think of him; I mean, surely you spoke to him before the fight ensued..."
Edouard said, "And I agree with you that he will probably wish to get his talons into your Christine, the way he has done to mine. Do you thinkn the girl foolish enought to fall for his wiles?
"Tell me, Christophe, do you really feel that Christine only loved you for your money? If that was so, then surely she would have loved Erik, for he is known to be very wealthy, unbelievably so. I expect he stole it all. Of course,...perhaps my wife...no, that can't be it...could it? His attractiveness to her? I wonder what she would say if he was as poor as a pauper? " Edouard didn't voice his next thought... Or as poor as I am now...
"So Christophe, what is this job you will be doing to make so much money? If it saves our future marriage, then perhaps I should embark on some sort of venture. I don't know how Christine would feel about her husband working though..."
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 19, 2012 18:04:58 GMT -5
“Yes, wicked indeed. A madman in every sense of the word.” he agreed fervently with a nod. “And you and I both, Edouard. I should hate to think that he will control her again if she ever arrives here. Perhaps it is best that she doesn’t…I do not know if I can protect her from him—not if she doesn’t let me, if she doesn’t care for my affections. I don’t understand what that parasite has that I don’t. Besides insanity.” His tone was derisive, but underneath he was in despair. Why wasn’t he enough? Why couldn’t he be enough? If she had loved the Phantom from the beginning…then he didn’t deserve Christine Daaé, he deserved better. But he wanted her, he loved her, and he damned himself for it every day.
“What did I think of him? I thought him a lunatic…and then he told me to stay away from my Christine. I punched him but he didn’t fight back—not until I got him a new shirt. It was the color pink, which upset him, and then he punched me. I gave him quite a beating and then the police came and hauled us both off to jail. He didn’t really try to attack me again—though he did steal the guard’s pocket and tried to escape from the cell. I knocked him unconscious, and that’s when your wife showed up. Of course she blamed me and I tried to explain to her that I was doing this for all our sakes. She didn’t believe me, clearly, and she went off to the hospital with him after calling me a cab. I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think her foolish…just very naïve. She’s always been a little naïve but that…” he chuckled softly and shook his head sadly. “That was part of what made me fall in love with her—the way her eyes lit up when her father told us those stories…and now one of them is ruining both of our lives.” he finished darkly. “Christine must be protected, and I’ll see to it that she is…I must see that she is.”
“If she didn’t then why would she harbor feelings for him? I could have made her happy.” he answered sadly when he asked him about his theory about Christine only loving him for the money. “It doesn’t make sense.” His heart fell when he talked about Erik having money, money which he didn’t have at the moment. It was all the more reason for him to work as hard as he could, so he would have it in the event she arrived.
“My current jobs are…well they’re alright but frankly they don’t make nearly as much as I’d like—I sell insurance and play piano. Debasing, I know. I’d like to go to London and work for a bigger firm, maybe try to get into banking until I can earn my degree—I’d like to become an attorney so I can legally put that man away. But it all takes money…maybe if I had a business of sorts, something that could generate plenty of profit.” An idea suddenly occurred to him. “What about a winery? We could be partners, you see—I have a little business experience, you’re a connoisseur—we would both make plenty of money, money that could win back our Christines.”
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 19, 2012 22:58:26 GMT -5
"Frankly, I don't know what to do about Christine. She is out of hand right now. I've decided to tail her as much as I can and see exactly what she does and where she goes. I assume she is with him." Edouard shook his head in disgust. "I shall catch her again and she will be sorry. Unbelievably sorry. I will kill her lover. I will stalk that ugly beast and make sure he never does it again." Edouard's voice was calm and determined. He was angry, but this was something to be thought out and acted upon carefully.
"Your Christine? I don't know. If she's anything like mine, she will be naiive. Hopefully, she will still be afraid of him. My Christine was... until after the kiss. I think he mesmerized her. It seems it never left her."
"He didn't fight back? I find that odd. Not until you upset him with a pink shirt?" Edouard laughed. "You did that on purpose, didn't you Christophe? Senistive little monster isn't he?" Edouard laughed again."It may have been a mistake to get on his wrong side though Christophe. Knocking him unconscious? You're barely better than he is. You must learn to control your temper when dealing with dangerous fiends like Erik." Edouard looked at Christophe. "You think me too bloodless. But I have learned when to fight and when to walk away from a fight. It seems that our monster knows a bit of that too. I dare say, Christophe, you have done yourself a wrong turn by taking him on. He will not likely forget this. You may very well be in danger from him."
"And of course I expect that Christine would stay and help him. I can't say that I abhore that part of her. She is kind and generous and unselfish. That's what her kiss in the lair was all about. And I expect she's in love with him, probably has been for a long time, as I said before. I'll deal with her when I see her. I may forgive her this last little episode, considering that she was helping the fellow. And she helped you by bailing you out also. I also put you partially to blame, Christophe for fighting with him in the fist place. If as you say, he didn't fight back, why bother with him. So he threw a few punches and you threw a few back, why not leave it at that? You didn't have to hit him so hard he went unconscious. At least not there in town in front of everyone. Next time you set upon him, make sure it's somewhere here in the mansion. And be sure to kill him this time. "
When Christophe told him the types of jobs that he was performing, Edouard laughed. "Those jobs are not fit for someone of your calibre. Perhaps a barrister, as you said you'd care put in your studies for. That would indeed be a worth while venture."
Edouard laughed when Christophe spoke of a winery. "Have you any idea how much money goes into that before you can reap any benefits? And it's an incredible amount of work. I know. I had the same idea some years ago. I looked into it. First of all. you have to have a vineyard. That takes money to plant and labour to keep it up. True, we have some semblance of a vineyard here at the mansion, but it is in bad repair and much work would have to be done to get quality grapes growing again. Once they are planted anew, they can take up to three years to start bearing fruit. If we would have a frost, pest plague, plants that are not hardy, they can die off - meaning we start all over again. "
"Secondly there is an outlay of money for the equipment. Carboys, fermentation tanks, bottles, corks. If you go with oak barrels, those can cost a few hundred francs per barrel . There is no profit to be made those first years as all money must go back into the business."
In the meantime, if the winery does well, we would have to buy bigger tanks, more barrels, and then employ more people to press the grapes, bottle the grapes and sanitize the equipment. There are always more things to buy. "
"Usually the wine makers are knee-deep in grapes, or out in the vineyards pruning the vines, or crawling into the tanks to sanitize them. Most winemakers have far more work than they can do in a day, and they have to prioritize and pick-and-choose which tasks are most critical. The only time most of them can think about taking a day off is during January-March. This is when the fermentation from the fall harvest is usually done, and the wines are sitting in tanks or barrels. Even during this time, the tanks and barrels need to be checked every few days to ensure the temperature is right and that there aren't any bacterial problems developing."
"Are you sure you want to get involved in a business like this? My suggestion would be to invest in a winery already in pr0gress, one that has proven itself over the years. The owners would be more than willing to take on investors for a share of the profits. What do you think? Otherwise, I don't care to do that much work Christophe? Do you?" Edouard raised an eyebrow at Christophe, waiting to see what he would say.
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 21, 2012 22:02:42 GMT -5
“I hope she is…” But what if it was always there? What if she had not cared for him to begin with? What if she had only needed his protection, his security, but kept a candle lit for the Phantom? It enraged him. He loved her alright, but if she really felt that way then she wasn’t worth his time. Yet the whole reason he was so determined to deal with Lenoir was for her sake.
His face grew infuriated when the other man suggested that he was no better than Lenoir. “I beg your pardon!” he snapped, standing up immediately. “That thing is a stain upon humanity—as are all criminals like him. They’re an infestation—an infestation that, I, sir am not a part of. I don’t even begin to compare to his wickedness. Besides, you have no right to judge me in any case. You’re a drunken failure of a man.” The statement came out quicker than he could stop it. “I didn’t mean all that…” But he did. That’s why he could never see himself becoming this man—he was not, nor could he ever be, a failure.
“Perhaps she did help but I would have preferred that he rot in prison for the rest of his life—or at least two days. The man is a murderer, a threat to society and no one here seems to realize that. And we can’t even prove it!” He slammed his fist on the table. “It’s frustrating—that he walks free like that. It’s disgusting what the justice system has become—utterly disgusting. If we were back in our own time I’d have him guillotined.” He shook his head at his order to kill him. “I can’t kill him here...it wouldn’t be justified legally and I would end up getting locked up. Besides, your wife is on his side—somehow she would find out and I’d be facing the hangman’s noose myself.” “I know.” The jobs were, of course, beneath him—but it was those or washing dishes, which he refused. The sooner he got his degree, the better.
He stayed silent during Edouard’s explanation of how much work would go into starting a winery, and though he bristled at the condescending nature of his words he realized that he was right. “But…what if we started small? We could try the product out locally to see if there’s a demand—I happen to be in good standing with the owner of a pub that would be willing to use our wine—and then find new markets from there? I wouldn’t mind investing to get a better understanding of the business…but I need every euro I can get.”
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 21, 2012 23:56:25 GMT -5
Raoul bristled and glared at the younger man when Christophe said he was a drunken failure. He knew it was at least partially true. Christophe could be so rude, so brash. Had Edouard ever been that way? He had begun to stop thinking that Christophe was truly his younger self. He didn't know what the explanation was, but it didn't seem to be that.
"I'm not judging you, Christophe...I just think that it does no good to beat the fellow up... He's no fool. He may not be your match physically, but believe me he's more than a match for most mentally, much as I hate to admit it. And he has many tricks up his sleeve. That's why I fear you shall see the worst of this. And don't think I am on his side. I'm not. He has my wife twisted about his little finger and believe me, if I thought I could take him, I would indeed do so, but ...well, he is a wily old fox and I have just laid an ultimatum for Christine to stay out of his way and I doubt myself whether she will obey me, but time will tell."
"A threat to society? Perhaps. I don't know. He did kill two people that I know of...perhaps more I don't know of. But I dare say he would not kill anyone here. He would be found out and I expect a lynch mob would take care of him quite easily. A lynch mob with me a the head of it..."
"You inow what I think, Christophe? I think you would make a fine barrister. You have the personality for it, the drive to find the truth...your time would be well spent to make that your profession. As for your winery, by all means, go ahead, don't let me stop you. I just don't care to invest in such a venture. It's not a fit occupation for a gentleman. Not unless you have the funds to have all the work done by others. I don't care to get in there myself. But, as I said, do as you wish. Much too much work for me. "
"Think of what you could do if you were a barrister. You could legally prosecute Lenoir and put him behind bars or make sure he is executed, should it come to that. In the meantime, I doubt any of us would let him get away with murder here..."
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on May 28, 2012 11:28:56 GMT -5
Raoul hesitated, wanting to apologize for the comment he had made toward Edouard. He did for an instant think that of him, but he had not meant to voice his thoughts—at least not so bluntly. That was one of his problems—not thinking before he spoke. For someone who was always in control, he had more slip-ups than he could afford. “Edouard, I didn’t mean to say that. It was cruel and unfair of me. Forgive me.”
He stayed silent as the older man explained why he had thought him wrong to beat Lenoir up. He knew that he should not have, and in hindsight it was a foolish thing to have done, but he had let his anger get the better of him. It rarely happened, but then again he rarely got that angry. Either way there was no excuse. Because of his actions he had been imprisoned—it did little to his record but in his eyes there was no excuse, even if there had been no charges filed. Besides, she had had to come to his rescue. That was yet another thing he was ashamed of—being in her debt. He hated being in anyone’s debt but being in her debt was much worse.
Edouard said that Lenoir was a formidable opponent mentally. Was he saying that he thought he could beat him in that sense? He almost scoffed. Yes, he had seen the play, in which he had been outwitted by the man. The same thing had happened in the video that had him and his Christine in it. But that would not happen again, he would not let him win. “I’m not afraid of him.” he answered simply but truthfully. “And I will not let him take Christine from me. I know that I made a mistake, that I…lost my discipline for a while, but I shan’t let it happen again. The next time we meet I will have much better control—and I will win that battle as well as the war. I won’t lose her to him.” he stated confidently and firmly.
“He would be a fool to kill anyone here…but he is rather unpredictable, is he not? Lunatics usually are…” He was not going to take any chances. He should be kept under surveillance in case he did slip up. “We should watch him—watch him and make sure he doesn’t do anything remotely illegal, because if he does I will have him put behind bars—for all our sakes.” he replied. He nodded smugly at his comment. “Yes, and I would be right behind you—if only it were that simple.”
“You do?” he asked in surprise when the other man said that he would make a fine barrister. He smiled graciously as he responded, “Thank you, monsieur.” He mulled over the prospect of opening up a winery again. “I could use the extra money…I have half a mind to find myself an apartment in the village to be closer to the university and to work. Well if I get some extra time I could try mixing up a concoction and see how it sells.”
He nodded when Edouard suggested that he could prosecute Lenoir as an attorney. “I should very much like to—it is part of what made me want to do this in the first place. I can fight him within the law—and if the law is on my side then I will most certainly win once and for all.”
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on May 28, 2012 17:18:07 GMT -5
"I accept your apology," said Edouard, simply. He didn't want to bring up the subject either of his his drinking or of anyone thinking he was a failure. Certainly, he had gambled away the family fortune, but that didn't mean he was a failure. It just meant he had made a mistake. Certaily he would be able to get it back...at some point. And he like Christophe. He embodied some things he didn't see in himself that he admired. Perhaps it was his brashness, his willingness to jump in with both feet for something he felt strongly about that Edouard admired. However, obviously the quickness of temper would get Christophe in trouble at some time.
Edouard had been unaware of the other three people who lived at the mansion who had seen the school play in the village. "Christophe, I saw a strange thing the other day. I went to the village and stopped at the local school where they were performing a musical. Strangely enough, it was based on my life, Christine's and the Phantom. Your life, if you will, if you experienced the same as I did. "
"It was extremely eerie to see that someone had our lives down to the smallest detail. I can't imagine how they knew everything, even to the words we spoke."
Edouard looked at Christophe in disbelief when he said he had let Lenoir win and that he was not afraid of him. "Christophe, I am not afraid of him either, but you must treat him with a healthy respect. He is more powerful and quite a worthy opponent. He may not be able to best you in a hand to hand fight in which he was not prepared, but I don't think he will put himself in that position again. And I expect you should be aware of the fact that he may be plotting revenge."
"Christophe, he may be a bit unpredictable, but don't take him for a lunatic either. I think he's obsessed, but not insane. I think the only way we could ever see him pay for his crimes is to go the way of the law. But you see what happened the last time we set a trap for him...he got away."
"Yes an excellent barrister. But if you continue in that thought of a winery, I shall think you a rather witless businessman, no disparagement intended." Edouard said this last with a smile. "A concoction? Indeed!"
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on Jun 11, 2012 1:39:01 GMT -5
“Thank you.” Raoul stated softly when Edouard accepted his apology. He didn’t know what had caused him to lash out like that. Usually..usually he had such pristine and infallible self-control, and was able to have total reign over his emotions. Yes—to a degree, that was what he thought of the man. If anything the insult had been an attempt to distance himself from him. He could never become like that, therefore his present could never be his future.
At least, that is how he rationalized it. In reality he didn’t know whether or not Edouard was him from the future. He didn’t want to believe it, so he chose not to. However as far as Christine went…he had been given cause to be alarmed, and so he was alarmed. He would protect her, to be sure, but he was less than pleased about her apparent lack of love for him and rather attraction to his money and title.
He froze when Edouard spoke of having seen the play in the village. “The one about our lives…yes. Yes I saw it.” Unfortunately. “I’ve only experienced part of it—up until my entering her dressing room. Everything after that I’ve only been told or have seen for the first time in that play—which is apparently accurate?” It had shaken him, seeing that. Not just because he hadn’t experienced it, but also because the dialogue sounded like things he would say and had said. Whoever wrote the play knew entirely too much about him and his life.
Apparently he wasn’t even famous, so to speak, and the play was a work of fiction. He didn’t understand how they could think his life was fiction, that he wasn’t even a real person. The people in town had called him ‘Hadley Fraser’ for the longest for whatever reason—apparently it was the name of an actor who had portrayed him and looked identical to him.
“Respect? Monseiur Edouard, I only grant my respect to people who deserve it, and first of all, Lenoir is not a person, he’s a murderous monster. Second, he is undeserving of anyone’s respect, let alone mine of all people. And third of all, if he’s planning revenge, then I’m more than up to the challenge.” Raoul replied rashly. He was afraid of no Phantom, and he considered the threat of revenge trivial. Besides, he had beat him once and he would beat him again if he tried to keep him and Christine apart.
“I know…catching him within the law is the only way. We have to catch him murdering someone…or doing enough damage to land himself in prison. Perhaps he should be kept under surveillance.” Raoul suggested to Edouard. They needed to keep track of his doings. Then if they caught him, he would be sent off to jail.
He crossed his arms indignantly. “I’ll have you know that business and entrepreneurship is in the de Chagny blood. My father was a businessman.” His father was an incredible man—distant, but a genius, he was sure. He was always in his study. If he could be a good businessman, then why couldn’t he? “I can do this, I’m sure I can. I need the money, that’s for certain.”
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on Jun 16, 2012 17:05:49 GMT -5
"As far as that musical play went, It was acccurate down to the dialogue. I assume you saw the ending. It was frightening to re-live that scene in his lair again. He certainly is a monster..." Edouard paused, the horror of the memories rising up and overwhelming him for an instant.
"And as far as respect for Lenoir, I don't mean it in the way of respecting him for anything he has done, indeed it has all been evil, as far as I know. But a healthy respect for the fact that he's dangerous. You must not jump into anything with him unguarded. You may be stronger than he is physically, but he is wily and sly. You must not let your attention slip for a moment when you are with him. I let that happen, when I was with Christine and Lenoir in the sitting room. I let my anger get the better of me and he almost killed me. Don't let that happen to you..."
"And I do think he's after my wife. I think he always has been. Now of course that doesn't mean that he still may not be after your Christine too. I wouldn't put it past the bastard to go after any woman he can."
"So, keeping him under surveillance...a good idea, perhaps, but is it an idea that would make sense? Would we be able to watch him every minute of the night and day?"
Edouard laughed when Christophe said that entrepreneurship was in the de Chagny blood. "It's not in mine. I was born into wealth and never had to work a day in my life, except when I was in the service, but I'm not counting that. And I don't expect to have to work another day either. If I ever am able to return home, I shall only work to recover my wealth."
"But you and I are different. That's why I hardly think anymore that you are a younger iteration of myself. True, we have a good deal in common, but the differences are many. And my opinion rests. A barrister is your true calling. Maybe later, a judge..."
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Raoul Christophe de Chagny
I?m here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.
Love me, that's all I ask of you
Posts: 414
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Post by Raoul Christophe de Chagny on Jun 26, 2012 23:03:43 GMT -5
“I did.” Raoul answered with a nod when Edouard asked if he had seen the ending. “It was…harrowing.” he commented, shaking his head. “He is. And he must be insane if he thinks he can win her love after doing that. He doesn’t deserve her…she doesn’t deserve that. He would only torment her for the rest of her life…I can’t believe that she actually agreed to stay with him. That she would risk that for me…” It was almost incomprehensible…that someone would willingly do that for him. It almost made him guilty for thinking she was after the money…but she wanted to run away with him! That meant that her ‘sacrifice’ was meaningless.
He stayed quiet as Edouard explained how he should allot a bit of healthy respect toward Erik. He kept saying that he was so clever and manipulative, as if he was capable of outwitting him. Although apparently he had in the play, Raoul wasn’t going to let that happen again. He had humiliated him and beaten him—and yes, if he really wanted to stoop to his level he may have even been able to kill him. While it was doubtful that Erik would put himself into that sort of situation again, his physical prowess was an advantage. He did need to learn to control his temper though. Edouard brought up how he had let his temper get the better of him and had almost been killed by Erik, and followed up with a warning for him not to do the same. “I shall remember that.”
“The bastard told me to stay away from her. To stay away from his Christine. If that doesn’t prove he’s after her, I don’t know what does—and he shan’t have her. I love her too much to let him near her. He’ll do something to her head…drive her insane—like he did in that play, like he hypnotized your wife.”
“Perhaps not 24/7…I’m not sure if it would be possible to be honest—but I think it would be wise to watch him as much as we can, so that he doesn’t hurt anyone, primarily your wife and my Christine when she arrives. But if we catch him doing anything illegal in the slightest, we can have him locked up and thus avoid our Christines being in danger.”
“I was as well!” Raoul replied insistently. “But my father started a few companies of his own—an architectural firm, a shipping company…he was a brilliant businessman. He didn’t have to work, but he did.” Every day it seemed. He never had time for him. “But you don’t have your money here…” he stated in confusion. “I mean…I suppose one could survive with the manor’s resources…but I don’t want any handouts.”
He nodded. “Very different…” He couldn’t by any measure see him becoming like that man in a few years. There were a few similarities between them but not enough to say that they were the same person. When he reiterated that his true calling was to become a barrister, he smiled graciously. “Thank you, monsieur.”
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