Erik Lenoir
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Hide your face so the world will never find you...
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Post by Erik Lenoir on Sept 10, 2012 19:47:21 GMT -5
Erik's long case clock chimed 11:00. He was restless and not in the mood to compose. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. But a walk in the brisk autumn night air would be just the thing. Erik donned his fedora and cape and crossed the lake, the bridges and exited to the lift. The lift set him at the main floor and he walked the long halls that led to the garden door.
The garden was lovely this time of year, autumn had painted red, orange and yellow on the trees and foliage, but alas, it was too dark to see that. He didn't mind though. Night time was Erik's favourite time and he enjoyed the solitude of the garden. The scent of autumn was in the air and a cool breeze gently blew the leaves and made a lovely sound. The wind turned up the edges of Erik's cape and it billowed a bit behind him.
He started walking up the garden path, his footfalls barely making a sound on the white stone path. He passed the beds of roses that he loved so well, the blood red ones were his favourites. Their scent was the lovliest of the roses, he thought. There were only a few left now. The autumn flowers were now blooming, asters, chrysanthamums and zinnas, among many others.
Erik glanced ahead to the stately weeping willows. Their long frond like leaves flowed in the breeze. A bearutiful tree indeed. Then he frowned. Was there someone sitting under the tree? He was too far to see from this distance.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 15, 2012 13:18:45 GMT -5
Teressa had been sitting outside for a while, under her favourite willow tree. It was next to the water, and the veil of fronds kept her safe from unfriendly eyes. She was able to sit under her tree, mostly unnoticed, and if no one looked closely, no one would see her.
The stars were out, and a light breeze played with her hair. Her light blue dress clung to her until it hit the ground, where it spread out around her. She smiled to herself. The constellations were bright tonight. The sound of the water gently lapping against the shore calmed her. She felt safe. Calm and safe.
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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 Sept 15, 2012 15:30:41 GMT -5
Erik drew closer to the tree, walking in his leisurely way. He kept his eye on the sitting form below the tree. The bright moonlight made the person's hair glint golden as he approached. It must be Teressa Lavalais, her form more definitely outlined as Erik drew near.
Erik hadn't seen Teressa for a while and he realized with a pang, that he missed her. He missed her more than just a little bit... He couldn't tell exactly what colour clothing she was wearing; it looked to be a light colour and the dress was long and it swept around her as she sat under the beautiful tree. Erik could hear the water too, as it moved and the tree's long hair-like fronds moved gently with it.
Erik's approach was almost silent and he drew close to the tree to the point where he could touch the leaves. He parted them to pass through and they made a gentle shimmering sound. "Teressa? It's Erik. Do you mind if I join you?"
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 17, 2012 16:59:23 GMT -5
Teressa heard his voice before turning to see Lenoir. She smiled. "Erik...Of course you can join me, it's been far too long since we've seen each other." She patted the ground next to her before brushing the hair out of her face. It really had been far too long since she'd seen Lenoir. She'd missed him, but she didn't want to go bothering him, lest Erik think that she was going behind his back on some romantic venture. Well...that didn't seem too bad to her.
Lately, she'd been thinking an awful lot about how she was stuck there in the Manor. The events that occurred between herself, Destler, and Lenoir had made her start thinking long and hard about the Manor. What if she was to be stuck here forever....? What would she do then? She couldn't go on pretending that she would be the same the whole time she would be here...and if that was to be forever, what was she to do about her future? She'd always wanted to live her own life, to make a name for herself, to settle down, perhaps have children someday...but lately, she'd been troubled about such things.
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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 Sept 17, 2012 21:23:20 GMT -5
Erik smiled and came near Teressa. He sat down on the ground near her, carefully keeping the tails of the coat up so he wouldn't sit on them. He sat partially facing her, his legs bent at the knee and pointed toward her. He took her hand. "I've missed you, Teressa. What have you been doing with yourself?" He squeezed her fingers gently. "I hope you don't mind me doing that, but it feels so good to be near you..."
"Do you come here often? I regularly take walks, but perhaps they are later than this." Erik didn't say any more. He was thinking about Destler again, and his going after Teressa. He wondered if she would finally give in. He was so persistant. But Erik didn't say anything. He was just happy to be with her.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 18, 2012 7:53:35 GMT -5
Teressa thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of Lenoir's hands on her own. His hands were warm...so contrary to Erik's cold hands. She sighed, giving him a little smile. "Lately, I haven't been out much, other than to sit out here and stargaze when it catches my fancy." She looked up, then back at Lenoir.
"You may think it silly, but I've missed your company. I like talking to you, and it's been so long since we've been able to speak freely, don't you think?" She blushed lightly. She was talking too much, she'd end up saying the wrong thing...with Lenoir, she didn't want that feeling of regret. She liked him too much, it would hurt 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 Sept 18, 2012 19:29:13 GMT -5
Erik gazed on her fondly. "I have missed talking and being with you, as I mentioned before. I really don't have trouble talking about most things or to most people, but somehow, with you now, I feel a bit tonguetied. I have things I wish to say, but I can't find the words to say them."
He squeezed her fingers again, but with what he wanted to say to her, his hands started to sweat a bit and he couldn't think of what to say....the words that were in his heart...but if said, and if he was rejected, they would sound hollow and wrong. They would never be able to be said again. Erik looked into her eyes, her strange but beautiful red eyes with his odd two-coloured gaze. The words were on the tip of his tongue but his gaze said the words more eleoquently than he could ever speak them.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 19, 2012 10:57:32 GMT -5
Teressa smiled to herself, giving Lenoir's hands a little squeeze before looking up at the night sky. She felt light but nervous, like there were a few butterflies in her stomach. She had things she wanted to say, but she didn't know how to phrase any of it.
Well, firstly, she wanted to thank him for all he'd done for her, since the moment she'd got to the Manor. And then there was the situation with Destler that he'd intervened in. She understood why he did it, and she was still confused about the kiss that Destler had given her...He'd kissed her twice since they'd first met. But she didn't want to think on that now. No, she wanted to think about what she thought of Lenoir. She leaned a little, more toward him, looking out over the water.
"I know how you feel. Lately, I have not been able to find the right words for anything, especially not my own thoughts or feelings."
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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 Sept 19, 2012 19:46:50 GMT -5
Eriik still wasn't ready to say what his feelings were about Teressa. His sweating moved from merely his hands to his chest and face. He wantted to tell her how he felt, but it was difficult. He had not been able to really tell Christine how he felt either. She had been mesmerized when he had been alone with her and he told her in song how he felt, but he wasn't sure she had understood. And when she had finally come out of the trance and really understood that he was saying h e loved her, she was frightened. Even though she had kissed him in the lair before leaving with Raoul, it had been a kiss of pity. It had been a kiss of sorrow for a man so backward in his understanding of human nature that he had to resort to kidnapping and mesmerization to try to get the woman he wanted. Since that incident, Erik's underatnding of human nature had grown considerably. At the mansion he had had more intereactions with different people than he had ever had in that short a time.
But still, it was hard. He didn't want to be rejected. He had tried to renew the friendship with Christine when she had arrived here, but she seemed terribly afraid of him.He supposed it was no wonder, for he had put her through a lot.She had thought he was trying to kill her when he made the chandelier fall. He had not anticipated that the fall would be so close to her and that it would frighten her so. He had been thinking only of making everyone bend to his will. It obviously had only partially worked.
So now, what was he to do about Teressa? He desperately wanted to tell her how he felt, but would be be rejected? He had seen her reaction to Destler and she had seemed somewhat amenable to him. Was it possible that she had feelings for the man? He was despicable and cruel, but perhaps had not been so to Teresssa. It seemed she didn't know how dangerous he was, even though Erik warned her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his palms still sweating.
"Teressa, I need to tell you something that is in my heart. In fact, at the moment, I can think of nothing else. I have feelings for you...strong feelings...I believe it's love..." Here he took another deep breath, scarcely daring to look at her face. He kept his eyes down, looking at their hands entwined. Then, finally, he looked up and made contact with her eyes. "Teressa, I love you and I hope you feel the same about me..."
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 20, 2012 21:32:56 GMT -5
Teressa's heart skipped a beat...LOVE, he'd said....love...But no one loved her. No, not since Dmitri, all those years ago...decades...And even then, it had been an arranged marriage. But he'd disappeared. And Lenoir was most certainly no Dmitri. No, Lenoir was talkative, amiable (or at least to her), and he'd looked after her when she was sure that she'd be alone here.
She was confused as to her feelings for him. She knew she cared about him, that was certain...but she'd never known what it truly felt like to fall in love...was it that light feeling in her stomach? Or perhaps it was the loss of breath his words just gave her. The effect he had on her when he complimented her? The way he made her laugh and smile and feel embarrassed - in a good way - for no reason? Teressa looked at him. He was so sincere...
"I must be honest with you, Erik...I've never been in love before....I don't know how to tell..." She felt like she might disappoint him with that statement, but she wanted him to know that she was only a novice at this whole thing.
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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...
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Post by Erik Lenoir on Sept 20, 2012 22:27:36 GMT -5
When Teressa told Erik that she hadn't been in love before and wasn't sure how to tell, he smiled. "I have been in love before, or perhaps that's what it was, perhaps it wasn't. I could have been completely wrong before. But now, I feel like I wish to be with you all the time. I think about you when you are not here with me. I suppose I don't know if that's love either, but it seems so for me." Then he stopped. Perhaps she had no feelings for him and was simply trying to let him down nicely.
He felt a bit choked up suddenly. "Perhaps I am wrong also. Perhaps what I feel isn't love at all..." His voice caught when he spoke the word love. This was much harder than he had anticipated. Erik really had no experience in love either. Why he had only been kissed by Svenna, his first kiss and then Emilie here at the mansion. Svenna basically rejected his love and Emilie was married so there was no future there for them.
But this was different from anything else. A different feeling. There was something about Teresssa that spoke to Erik's heart. And he didn't know what it was. He couldn't quantify it. Something in common that they both had. And he wasn't thinnking about masks and deformities. That was only on the surface. There was some inner connection. And Erik just knew that if she rejected him, he would be incredibly heartbroken.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 21, 2012 9:26:06 GMT -5
"Well....I have been thinking about you more than I ever expected..." Teressa blushed. She felt sixteen again, naïve, completely vulnerable. She didn't usually share her feelings, but something about him made it feel alright. There was a spark between them, she could not ignore that. He had to be more than a friend, from the thoughts he excited in her.
"I....I suppose I love you as well..." Teressa turned a bright red, enough to rival her eyes. She turned her face away, letting her hair fall in it, attempting to perhaps cover her embarrassment.
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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 Sept 22, 2012 12:09:36 GMT -5
Erik was enouraged when Teressa said she had been thinking about him often. So there was a spark there. He was so inexperienced at this...it should have come easily and naturally, but considering that he never fell in love until his mid forties, Erik also had very little experience to know if it was really love. No one had really ever responded positively to him before. Of course, since coming to the mansion, Erik had definitely felt something for several of the ladies, but he wasn't sure that was true love. It was more of a passing thing.
Erik noticed with a quick glance to Teressa's face that it had turned bright red. She turned her face away from him. He smiled. Her blushing was rather charming and sweet. He felt that she indeed must be feeling something for him.
Erik squeezed her hand again and touched her hair. "It's all right," he whispered. "This wasn't easy for me to say, but I am glad I said it. I have been thinking about it for so long..." Erik breathed a sigh of relief. He had told Teressa he loved her and the world hadn't come falling down about him.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Sept 23, 2012 11:28:05 GMT -5
"I am glad you told me..." Teressa smiled a bit to herself, her face starting to return to its normal colour. She turned back to Lenoir, watching his reaction to what she'd said. She'd never told anyone past her immediate family that she loved them, and her immediate family was long since dead.
But this was different. This was all a different kind of love. Something more confusing, not like the mandatory love that you had to give to family. This was something optional. She could give her love to whoever she chose, and she'd chosen Lenoir. Erik Lenoir...the first man she'd met here at the manor. He'd gone out of his way to be sweet and kind to her, and her heart had subconsciously chosen him, she supposed. She was glad that it had chosen him though...
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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 Sept 23, 2012 20:49:48 GMT -5
"I would love to stay here under this tree with you forever," said Erik, softly. "I suppose though, that would not be practical..." Here he laughed a bit. He was feeling a bit more comfortable. Now what was the next step?
"I expect I shall have to ask you if I may court you now..." Then he thought of Lavalais. He wondered how the tall masked man would fit into the picture. "Will it be necessary for me to ask your protector's permission to court you? I certainly hope not, for you are of age and I certainly am also. But of course, I shall accede to your wishes."
"But there is one thing I must do, and very soon. I feel the need to do it now. I hope you will not disparage me for this..." At that he gently brought Teressa's face toward him and held it in both of his hands. He gently kissed her, puting his strange looking lips upon hers. He held the kiss for what seemed an eternity, then let go. Her scent was intoxicating and he touched her face with his fingers gently. "Teressa, I love you...." he said again softly.
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