Is Christine Still Good? (Claude Delacroix)

[Christine Daaé]

She reached her hands out to him, her fingers stretching, eager to take the the cup from his grasp. Her lips were parted as if to taste the aroma in the air that seemed to come off of the wine within the cup. That delicate, sweet aroma....

She let out a soft sigh of contentment before bringing the cup closer to her lips as the wolf in sheep's clothing sat down beside her, his fingers curling 'round her arm and his lips gently brushing against her skin as he whispered into her ear. She pressed the cup to her lips, allowing a bit of the intoxicating brew to flow between them and trickle over her tongue.

You may have some more wine… But not until you tell me more about your relationship with Raoul?Does it taste good? Is it intoxicating? Alluring? What do you feel?… What do you wish for?

“Mmmm... What would you like to know of him?... Oh! Is it something you need for the wedding, yes?”She gave an intoxicated giggle and sipped a bit more. “Oh yes, very good... I feel... I feel warm... like sitting in the sunlight on a summer day... but better, like... like...”

A soft sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes, savoring the warmth the beverage seemed to make wash over her like a wave washing over a stone laying on the sand of the beach. “I wish... ”

At that moment, a sound made her eyes flutter open again. There was a tap at the door. Who could possibly come knocking at this hour?... She loosened herself a bit from Claude's grasp, setting the cup down on the table with a clumsy hand and struggling to her feet. Her head hurt and the room seemed to be spinning around her.

“Coming...” she managed as she stumbled her way to the door, nearly falling on more than one occasion as her legs wobbled beneath her. Her senses and attention were far too clouded to pay much mind to the unknown demon whom she had left when she had risen from the bed.

She stumbled along, falling a bit against the door before trying with the knob a few times and eventually managing to open it. She leaned on the doorway. She looked up at the tall masked figure just outside the door, giggling with a rather unnatural and overly fond air about her. Her dressing gown was falling open a bit, allowing her night dress to poke through.

“Monsieur Lavalais? Wha–” She was interrupted by a little hiccough, which was followed by giggles. “What are you doing here?”

[Claude Delacroix]

Claude growled when he heard the knock at the door. Why now? Why was someone coming around now?! He tried to grab at Christine's wrist to drag her back but it was too late. She was already at the door.

It was another man, possibly another one of those Eriks he had seen around the manor. A mister Lavalais from what the little Christine had said. He knew Destler- his old servant- and then the other Erik, the one that had been with the pretty little maid. Damn, this was bad timing! He growled and shuddered; his fun was cut short by this deformed idiot. He quickly glided over to the blonde girl and whispered in her hear, "Farewell for now, sweet little Christine... Tell you fiancé 'hello' for us."

With that, Claude disappeared into the shadows of the room and was gone without a trace.

[Erik Lavalais]

"M-Mademoiselle Christine! I--" Erik paused. "I just found...I apologize for being too personal but...are you quite alright?" He held out the handkerchief, furrowing his brows beneath the mask. She seemed off tonight...something wasn't right, something couldn't be right.

"I'm sorry, I must seem rude..." Erik muttered. He wasn't too sure what was going on but she seemed to have a scent about her that was all too familiar to him...She smelled of alcohol. Rich, red wine. He could tell. He had a whole stock of red wine sitting in his cellar.

"May I intrude a few moments? I'd like to talk to you."

[Christine Daaé]

“Mmmmm?” Christine heard a voice in her ear and turned her head to see who had whispered, but there was no one there. Well that was strange. “Yes, I’ll tell him,” she said in response to the disembodied voice which had whispered in her ear. She figured she might as well answer, in case the strange voice came back.

When Monsieur Lavalais handed the handkerchief out to her, she gave an all-too-fond smile and reached out with a clumsy hand and took it from him. “Oh look! It’s my handkerchief. I was looking for that…” And then her words were accompanied by an odd sort of tipsy chuckle. “Intrude!”

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik nodded sharply. "Yes. I wished to talk to you....but now, I just wish to see if you're alright. Perhaps get you a glass of water?" Water always helped with alcohol. It helped with hangovers, for normal people. He moved more toward her, hoping that she'd let him pass.

"How have you been, by the way...?" He smiled slightly at her, but remembered that the mask covered his lips. Well, that ruined the effect, for sure. He'd heard from a few people that his smile was a charming factor for him. If he wanted her to like him more, wasn't 'charming' a good thing?

He'd been having more and more thoughts about her. She was consuming his brain, invading his thoughts. She hadn't yet infiltrated his dreams, but he supposed that his nightmares would never leave. She was the stuff of dreams, Christine. Or at least, he thought she was.

[Christine Daaé]

Christine let out a warm giggle when Monsieur Lavalais offered her a glass of water. “A glass of water? Why would I want a glass of water?... No, no thank you, I’m not thirsty. I already had something to drink. Would you like a glass of water?”

“I’ve been way by the way. By the way I’ve been way. I’ve been by this way. Way down by the way…” It was quite obvious by this point to anyone who might have seen her that the woman had had far too much to drink already.

She passed her hand over her forehead, her head hurting and feeling a bit dizzy. She took in a breath, which seemed to almost set the poor thing off balance, for afterward, she began tipping, tipping… and it looked as if she were about to fall over!

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik's hands immediately shot out to brace Christine. He grasped one of her shoulders and wrapped a hand around her waist as politely as possible.

"Christine, you need to get some water in your system...you look like you'll get ill soon if you don't lie down and drink some water." Erik walked her into her dormitory room, doing his best to memorize the set up while he tried to assist her. He took her over to her bed, gently setting her down. "There you are...now, glasses...glasses..."

In a bit of a hurry, Erik scanned the room for any sign of a glass or cup that he could fill with water.

[Christine Daaé]

((Just a reminder, the cup that Claude poured the wine into is still there, partially full.))

Christine gave a rather warm giggle as Monsieur Lavalais took hold of her when she stumbled and began to fall over. She really was drunk beyond her senses right how, and it most certainly showed! She dug her little fingers into his shirt, clinging to him and looking up at him with a drunken smile. He told her that she should really lie down and get some water, though she really was in no condition to reply to him.

He walked her over to the bed and she sat down with a little ker-plop, falling backward onto the mattress with her arms spread out on either side of her. “Mmmmm… comfy,” she said in an overly-joyful voice.

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik saw the half-empty glass of wine, and picked it up. So THIS was the culprit of Christine's drunken stupor...He brought the glass to Christine's bathroom, washed it out, dried it with her hand towel, and filled it with water from the tap. This would have to do, and Christine wouldn't feel the aches of a hangover tomorrow.

He walked back into Christine's room, giving her a look of worry. He'd have never allowed her to get this drunk if he'd been around...What was troubling her so, to make her go to this length...? Carefully, Erik sat beside the girl, and brought his hand to her side.

"Christine, I'm going to need you to sit up now," he encouraged. His kindest air would be needed for this interaction. She needed care, right now.

[Christine Daaé]

Christine was far too drunk to logically comprehend the situation, or how questionable it might be perceived at a later point in time. When he came up and brought his hand to her side, she leaned toward him and rested her wrists on his shoulders with her hands lightly crossed behind his neck and, leaning up, nuzzled the nose of his mask with a little giggle followed by a hiccough.

“I’m sittiiiiiiiiing” she said in a sort of ridiculous drawn out voice that caused her to laugh at herself again. “Now what do you need me to do? Oh! Is this a game? I love games!”

[Erik Lavalais]

Erik gave a helpless little inhale. She was so close....Remember that she's drunk, remember that she's drunk....

"Yes, Christine, it's a game! Now...let's back up from me, and sit against the pillows...." Carefully, he unwrapped himself from her arms and sat the pillows up to form a cushion for her back to rest against while she sat up.

"Alright, so the rules of this game...you must drink four glasses of water without spilling a drop. If you spill some, I have to drink a glass of water without spilling a drop and I win. If I spill, you still have a chance to win."

Erik knew that if she spilled any of that water, he'd have to ruin his clothes to get her to keep drinking. It was a price he was willing to pay at this point, though, and he held out the wine glass to her with the kindest look that he could give.

[Christine Daaé]

Christine clapped her hands together childishly and followed with a fit of merry laughter. “Oh! That doesn’t sound hard at all!” she said, flopping back onto the pillows and taking the glass from him, already managing to spill a few drops just in doing that.

She put the glass to her lips and began to drink, managing to spill about a quarter of the remaining water on herself rather than consuming it. “Oh no, I missed,” she said with a sort of moderately disappointed look upon her face. It seemed that this was either going to take a lot of patience, or a bit of assistance.