"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxWell, Madame Giry might not have been entirely correct about people feeling his presence before he was seen. Then again, there was such a thrilling air to this revelry that his aura merely blended in and he almost felt like joining in seeing as everyone was wearing masks in general. Almost. Masquerades had always made him feel a little less strange due to no one being able to tell who was who until they removed their masks or were identified by voice. The problem was, he opted for something that deliberately stood out from the rest simply for this event in order to drive his point home.
xxxxxTaking a second to be sure his work was being held together, he took a deep breath and on came a haunting sound that resonated loudly throughout the room to the point it cut through the revelry. The masquerade being interrupted made the people look around in confusion only to be followed by several screams the revelers on the steps made as they ran down to the lower floors. It seemed as if death itself had appeared, and in a way, it had. Damn he was good.
xxxxxGiving just the faintest of bows from the top step, Erik could only smile in something of a dark manner even as he took slow steps down the stairs. “Why so silent, good messieurs? Did you think that I had left you for good?” Another few steps and still more fled further down the stairs from him. “Have you missed me, good messieurs? I have written you an opera!”
xxxxxTossing the leather satchel at Andre, his gaze shifted slightly over those still standing before him as he continued. “Here I bring the finished score - Don Juan Triumphant! Fondest greetings to you all. A few instructions just before rehearsal starts. Carlotta must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting around the stage. Our Don Juan must lose some weight. It’s not healthy in a man of Piangi’s age.” Drawing the sword at his waist and pointing it at Carlotta, the corner of his lips raised up into a smirk before he ruffled the feathers atop her head then shifted the direction of his sword to, gently mind you, poke at Piangi’s gut.
xxxxxShifting his feet ever so slightly, his sword snapped in the direction of Andre and Firmin where he raised a brow slightly albeit couldn’t be seen. “And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts.” It was here that he resheathed his blade and shifted his gaze towards the golden haired Christine. He felt as if someone were rubbing salt into the wound, but managed to take a deep breath.
xxxxx“As for our star, Miss Christine Daae, no doubt she’ll do her best. It’s true her voice is good. She knows though should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn if pride will let her return to me, her teacher... her teacher.” As he spoke of her, his feet carried him down part of the second flight of stairs towards her. For a moment, he felt the sorrow hit once again with the faint hint of a song without a name he had heard for the longest time aside from his music box softly playing in the back of his head filling the silence between them. Upon noting the ring, however, he wasn’t sure if he was more irritated that she’d betrayed him to be with Raoul or that the abhorrent ring would eat her poor delicate hands. Okay. That last bit was a little exaggerated, but from one unsightly thing to another, it shouldn’t ever see the light of day. In said frustration, and a hint of pity, he grabbed it swiftly with a gloved hand and snatched it off from around her neck holding it at eye level for her to clearly see he was laying claim to it and to her. “Your chains are still mine. You will sing for me!”
xxxxxHaving returned to the landing between the flights of stairs by taking several steps backwards, his words leaving no real room for rebuttals, a thick red puff of smoke matching his attire shot up from the floor merely to vanish just as quickly along with Erik himself. There. The ball was now in their court, and he was quite certain that his instructions would be followed this time. If not, well....
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
I love the opening to Shattered Mirror, Shattered Truth. It’s so very touching. I’m going to let you post first there though ‘cause... I’m bad (probably just my low opinion of myself, but whatever) with openers.
Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 8:42 pm
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
She jolted at the screams and turned quickly to face what horror had just walked in. Christine immediately wished that she hadn't. Her Angel was there, costumed as Death himself. A biting laugh echoed in her mind at the irony of it, but she kept her face as still as possible. An arm wound around her waist protectively and it took a few seconds to realize that it was Raoul's. She inwardly winced. The phantom was bound to not like that. Fortunately, his attention wasn't on her quite yet and she stood, watching him as he hassled the others.
Carlotta squeaked in protest as he ruffled her headdress and nearly didn't recognize his insults. Her lover stepped forward to defend her honor, only to find a sword's point at his large belly. He tried to suck it in, but it did little to help the humiliation of being called out for his weight. Carlotta pulled him back to her, glaring openly at the Phantom. This was the first time many of them had seen him, and while he was certainly intimidating, it was a little strange to come face to face to what they'd all believed to be a mere specter.
The tension in the ballroom grew stronger when his eyes landed on Christine.
She swallowed hard and clenched her fists by her sides. The arm around her gripped her tighter the closer Erik stepped. For a moment, she could feel Raoul trying to pull her back, but she would not be moved. Instead, she raised her eyes to his and met his gaze full on. Prideful, she was, but he had murdered someone and betrayed her trust. If anything, he was prideful! Her nails dug into the fleshy part of her palms. She wanted to speak up, to say something to him, but suddenly that connection between them sparked once more. There was still a gentleness to his eyes when he regarded her. He reached to touch her and Christine closed her eyes. For those few seconds, there was no one else in the room, just them two and his exquisite warmth.
Just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. He ripped her necklace off and with it, the engagement ring. Her eyes burst open and she gasped from the shock. He held the ring at eye level, but she wouldn't look at it. Her eyes stayed on his even as he backed away with her ring still in his grasp. "Master!" she cried out when he disappeared and stepped forward, caught by Raoul's arm.
He moved her to look at him, disbelief on his face. He had a question to ask, but the shame on her face answered it for him. She wanted to go with him, that beast. Why did she still feel him in this way? What hold did he have over her? Worse, would he ever let her go?
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
I got it, don't worry smile I'm not too great at openers either, but I think I have a good idea on how to start it. Oh, I think we should have Giry's exposition during the Notes/Twisted Every Way part when Christine is still with them. That way she can learn what Giry knows about his past and she can start to understand him just a little better.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxIt was over. After the mysterious man had appeared out of nowhere with this new opera, subtle threats made through what seemed like both instructions and advice, no one really felt like finishing the masquerade revelry. Many only felt the need to flee at the moment as if the phantom would be after them next. As for Madame Giry, she knew it was necessary to find him. She needed to tell him he’d gone too far, tell him he was going way past his usual accidents. Of course, this was not to be. All she’d found in the room she’d often be contacted through was a note with the all too familiar skull wax seal. Erik...
•••••••••• Sometime later... ••••••••••
xxxxx“Ludicrous! Have you seen the score,” Andre snapped as he flipped through a few pages of the score. It was too familiar, this handwriting. It was the same handwriting with many other scores amidst their archives. “It’s the final straw!”
xxxxx“This is lunacy,” Firmin agreed, his feet carrying him over to the desk so he could see what was sitting upon it’s surface. “Well, you know my view, but we daren’t refuse...”
xxxxx“Not another chandelier,” Andre shuddered before turning to face his coworker only to freeze up when faced with the two letters with the skull wax seal. No. Not another note. Opening his, he merely felt his eye twitch. “Dear Andre, re my orchestrations: we need another first bassoon. Get a player with a tone, and that third trombone has to go! The man could not be deafer, so please, preferably one who plays in tune.”
xxxxx“Dear Firmin, vis a vis my opera: some chorus members must be sacked. If you could, find out which has a sense of pitch. Wisely, though, I’ve managed to assign a rather minor role to those who cannot act!”
xxxxxThis ghost of theirs was so demanding, and relatively cold about it too. It was utterly ridiculous the lengths in which they were supposed to take in order to please him. They truly couldn’t refuse though as the chandelier incident nearly ruined them as is.
xxxxx“Outrage!”
xxxxx“What is it now,” Firmin sighed as Carlotta’s voice seemed to slice through the doorway as a hot knife would do butter. From what they could tell of the opera just by looking over it, there was no doubt that she was getting a small role if Christine were to take the lead role as the phantom had instructed. What were they to do though? It’s not like they could please this phantom menace and Carlotta simultaneously. He was just too strict about things, and dangerous to boot!
xxxxx”This whole affair is an outrage! Have you seen the size of my part,” Carlotta snapped as she tossed her manuscript at Andre whom had started to ask what it was that had her upset. Yep. It was a minor role, and this had definitely upset her.
xxxxx“Signora, listen,” Andre tried to intervene only for Piangi to shout that this was an insult. Oh no. Not him too!
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
I was thinking about the time between the masquerade and the notes scene, but they don’t give a general idea of it just being a day or two so I just put “sometime later”. They also don’t really have it set in stone how the masquerade ends, just having people run offstage in fear, so I figured they’d just fleed thus they fled. emotion_facepalm I’m sorry if this is bad. Words apparently hate me today. Either way, I had it to where Madame Giry received her note early, but was instructed not to show it until the others were discovered. I also started Carlotta’s and Piangi’s entrance, but I’ll let you pick up on it since Raoul and Christine are gonna enter shortly and Madame Giry won’t show up for a bit.
Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 11:11 am
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
"The things I have to do for my art!" She spat at him, shoving one of the manager's shoulders and fanning herself with a gaudy, feathery thing. "Ah, here's our little flower!" Carlotta sneered at the knock at the door.
Just then, the doors opened and Christine was walked into the office with Raoul at her side. He had a tight grip on her hand, a fact that made her just a little uncomfortable. She could understand that he was trying to be protective of her, but there was a limit to what she could handle. Christine nodded to the group and turned to look at La Carlotta just as she was informed that she didn't have the voice for the part. Christine bit back her irritation and turned to the Vicomte beside her for support.
"She's the one behind this."
Christine whipped her attention to Carlotta and advanced in her direction, held back by only by Raoul and her own self-control. "You evil woman! How dare you?"
Carlotta rolled her eyes. "You think I'm blind?" She scoffed.
"This isn't my fault! I don't want any part in this plot!" Her statement brought arguments from the managers and protests that it was her duty to sing, but she continued to refuse. Christine moved to the other side of the office and crossed her arms under her bust, chin raised in defiance. She shook her head hard when they advanced, then when she was about to yell back, Raoul appeared between her and the others.
"Christine, you don't have to." He sent them a look over his shoulder. "They can't make you." He tried to start talking her down, interrupted by the arrival of Madame Giry and yet another note. This was insane. He'd already seen them once, why couldn't he just complain to them himself!
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
I always figured it was a later that week situation anyway, but sometime later works. And don't beat yourself up, you're doing very well. It's okay if you get a block and need to take a little time to get back into the swing of it. I keep yoyoing between being totally driven with insane creativity and then curling up in a ball and watching old America's Next Top Model episodes with half a candy bar in my mouth. .... I totally didn't do that today...
Also I'm sorry it's so short, I had like no sleep last night and my creativity is stunted as a result.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxHoly cow! Christine had actually snapped off into Carlotta taking both Andre and Firmin by surprise. Recovering swiftly, or at least as swiftly as possible, they both tried to argue their point of Christine performing and Carlotta understanding that the theater couldn’t take another hit like the chandelier collapsing thus her having to seek work elsewhere. It truly was difficult trying to keep this theater in one piece. Perhaps they shouldn’t have taken over this theater, and perhaps they should have taken the talk of there being a ghost here much more serious before all of this tragedy struck.
xxxxxStarting slightly at seeing Madame Giry and Meg at the door, Andre was the first to motion for her to speak about the note she held in her hand. She nodded politely before opening the letter, a slight frown upon her face.
xxxxx“It says, Fondest greetings to you all. I advise you to comply, my instructions been made clear. Remember, there are worse things than a shattered chandelier. Your obedient friend and angel,” she read out before folding it back closed. When ushered to give it to the pale managers, she complied and they looked it over as if seeing if she were making something up.
xxxxx“Obedient friend and angel? He-” Neither Andre nor Firmin responded only to stop short in exasperation, and a mild sense of curiosity as Raoul’s sudden perkiness.
xxxxx“We have all been blind, and yet the answer is staring us in the face. This could be the chance to ensnare our clever friend,” the Viscount as he took a moment to tap his fist into the opposite hand. This raised a brow from several in the room.
xxxxx“We’re listening. Go on.” Their reaction earned a partial smile from Raoul. This would be the chance to break the phantom menace’s hold on poor Christine. She’d just have to play along for a short while so it could work.
xxxxx“We shall play his game, perform his work, but remember we hold the ace. For if Miss Daae sings, he is certain to attend,” he began to explain making Andre and Firmin perk up in realization of this plan.
xxxxx“We make certain the doors are barred,” Andre said being carried along by the plan.
xxxxx“We make certain our men are there,” Firmin added with a smile growing on his face.
xxxxx“We make certain that they are armed,” Raoul continued.
xxxxx“The curtain falls, his reign will end!” There. Such a simple plan, but it had never occurred to them to actually do such a thing.
xxxxx“Madness,” Madame Giry responded, eyes wide at the very thought. She wasn’t even sure if it was for Erik’s sake or theirs. Her words did earn a slight nod from the managers. It could go badly after all. “This is madness! Monsieur, believe me. There is no way of turning the tide.”
xxxxx“You stick to ballet,” Firmin snapped at the woman. Raoul only grabbed her wrist with a stern look.
xxxxx“Then help us!”
xxxxx“Monsieur, I can’t. I wish I could,” she argued with her hands passing over each other in stating she was unable to do so.
xxxxx“Don’t make excuses! Or could it be that you’re on his side?” The question made the managers, Carlotta and Piangi to look at the woman in shock. Madame Giry responded again with a shake of her head.
xxxxx“Monsieur, believe me, I intend no ill. But I must beg you, please don’t do this! Beware his fury!” They needed to realize that Erik was no ordinary man.
xxxxx“So you do know something! You had to have seen something,” Raoul tried to reason earning yet another shake of the head.
xxxxx“I don’t know what I’ve seen. Please don’t ask me,” Madame Giry replied only to sigh heavily and turn from the group, snatching her arm back from the Viscount so she could rub her hands together. She had no choice now, all of them turning to her for an answer, for anything that could help them with this phantom. “Very well. It was many years ago. There was a traveling fair in the city filled with all manner of things. Conjurors, acrobats, all sorts of human oddities. Amidst all of them...
xxxxxHer pause only seemed to make the group want her to continue on instead of keeping them waiting. “Go on!”
xxxxx”I’ll never forget him... There was a child locked in a cage.” She hushed the questions with a raise of her hand before rubbing the back of it with the opposite hand and glancing around her. God help her if Erik knew. “He was a prodigy, Monsieur. A scholar, architect, musician, inventor... With all the oddities there, I cannot be sure he truly was a mere child. They boasted of a labyrinth of mirrors created for the Shah of Persia.”
xxxxx”Who was this man,” the men all questioned making her finally glance over her shoulder towards them.
xxxxx”An oddity, Monsieur. One beyond compare. Even fire could not be rid of him it seemed. And then, one day, he disappeared, escaped from his cage. They never found him, and soon enough, the world forgot him. I never can, for in this darkness, I have seen him again,” she concluded only to look around a little more openly as if he would leap out of the shadows at any moment. “I’ve said too much, Monsieur, and there have been too many accidents. Too many!”
xxxxxThat having been said, she took Meg’s wrist into her hand and fled from the room with her. Andre and Firmin were too stunned to respond, and Carlotta and Piangi began blaming Christine once more for all of the insanity.
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
First off, ugh -shudders- never again shall I pick back up on Raoul. Something about him just feels like it’s throwing off my writing. Secondly, there’s so much back and forth, and I was trying to piece in Giry’s exposition, so... I put it in where Christine could hear the tale so she’d be even more conflicted before the Twisted Every Way section and Raoul would have settled on the phantom being a missing person of some time ago. Thirdly, yes, I kept him both being part of the traveling fair and the creator of the maze of mirrors. Child prodigies, y’know? In all of its Giry-vagueness, I like it. When Christine asks his name, I’ll have him vaguely explain in a better way why he was deemed evil... Or she could ask in the graveyard. Or I can change it up a bit... Your choice.
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 12:29 pm
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
Christine was helped his fiance into a seat by the desk as Madame Giry began to read aloud the note. This one was far less insulting than the others, but the measure of threat behind the words was enough to send a chill down her spine. This was a waking nightmare. All she'd ever wanted to do was perform and now, because of her voice, she was being haunted by a madman with eyes that burned her to her very core. Her hands slid from the armrests to her thighs, pressing lightly as she tried to keep herself focused. It was at that moment that she realized that Raoul was cultivating a plan before their very eyes.
She stood in protest but felt arms yank her back down to be seated. Christine glanced behind her and glared at Piangi who gave her a sneer in return. She was integral to this plan and all they needed to capture the Phantom of the Opera. She shook her head firmly, then looked back to Raoul. "Raoul, please. Don't make me do this." She pleaded. Raoul only patted her shoulder and began to advance on Giry. Christine could do little else but sit there and take in the madness circling around her. The one moment of calm was when Madame Giry finally explained what she knew to be the tale of the Phantom.
He had been treated like an animal. As brilliant a boy as he'd been, and he was locked in a cage as if he were a beast. Her anger was overshadowed by her pity for the man. It didn't justify murder, but she could understand him a little more now. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes as a few tears surfaced and dripped down her cheeks. That poor child. Christine felt Piangi's hand leave her shoulder and waited a few moments before standing and walking into the center of the room towards Madame Giry. She gently touched the woman's elbow and nodded her thanks. There was a short moment of connection between their eyes before Giry grabbed her daughter's wrist and left.
"This is all your doing, you toad!" screeched Carlotta as she surged forward and grabbed Christine by the upper arm, her nails digging deeply into her flesh through her sleeve. Carlotta dragged Christine backward and shoved her towards the desk. "This is all your fault! You must be his accomplice. There's no other explanation!"
Christine shook her head, her blonde curls flying every which way. Andre, Firmin, and Raoul were now advancing towards her, the five people surrounding her on seemingly every side. The managers and Raoul all three were now trying to convince her that if she sang, they would be able to stop him. It was all so much, too much, and she couldn't get her thoughts to focus on any one thing. She wanted to come to her own conclusions, make her own decisions, but she was too overwhelmed to even try. "Stop;... Stop! Stop it or I'll go mad!!" Her hands rose to her head and she stood fast, shoving through the crowd and having to hold on to a spare chair just to keep standing. "Raoul, please don't make me do this!" She repeated. Raoul was by her side in an instant and he held her up by her elbows. She slung to him, her tears flowing freely and her hair mussed. "Don't put me through this ordeal by fire. He'll take me. He won't let me go." Raoul wound his arms around her and pulled her against him tightly. She wept into his shoulder, trembling. "What I once used to dream, I now dread. If he finds me, it won't ever end."
He helped her sit back down, kneeling in front of her and taking both of her hands. She shook her head again and again, then lowered her chin. "And he'll always be there, singing songs in my head." She sang quietly, much to the surprise of the room. She cautiously licked her lips squeezed her eyes tightly shut as if it would protect her. "He'll always be there singing songs in my head."
"She's mad," whispered Carlotta to no one in particular. For once, the hateful jealousy on the elder woman's face was gone and replaced with the same pity Christine had felt for her master.
Raoul sighed, rubbing his thumbs on hers and tightly holding her hands. "Christine. You said yourself -- he was nothing but a man. Yet while he lives, he will haunt us till we're dead." He released one of her hands and lifted his to cup her cheek and wipe away her tears.
She swallowed, turning away from his touch and pulling her hand from his. "Twisted every way, what answer can I give? Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live a real life? Can I betray the man who brought my spirits to new heights? Do I have any choice?" She stood and started to slowly walk towards the window. "He kills without a thought. I know I can't refuse and yet, I wish I could. Oh, God." She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. "What horrors wait for me?" She whispered to herself.
"Christine." Raoul followed close behind and carefully turned her to face the room once again. He pried her hands from her face and took a moment to let her adjust before speaking once more. "Christine, don't think that I don't care." He brushed her curls from her face. "But every hope and every prayer rests on you now."
She exhaled sharply, then stepped back and pulled her hands away. The five began to advance once more. However, this time she would not have it. She lifted both hands, palms facing them. "I will not do it!" she insisted, then turned and ran from the room, ignoring their cries for her to come back.
Angered, Raoul grabbed a paperweight and threw it to the ground, shattering it. He glared up at the ceiling, shouting with the hopes that the menace himself would hear. "So! It is to be war between us! But this time, my clever friend, the disaster will be yours!"
•••••••••• Meanwhile... ••••••••••
Christine stepped into the snowy graveyard, a bundle of roses clasped tightly in both of her hands. Behind her, she could feel the eyes of the coachman following her. If she thought back to her time at the Opera Populaire, there had always been eyes following her. This had all started because she caught the Phantom's attention. Maybe it all would've been better if she'd stayed away as her mother had always wanted them to do before she passed. "In sleep, he sang to me. In dreams, he came." Her hands parted and fell to her sides, the roses held in one. She grazed her fingers across the top of a gravestone, the icy coldness of the stone reminding her of the cave where she'd last found her happiness. "That voice which calls to me and speaks my name." Another tear fell, disappearing into the snow.
She stood before her family's mausoleum. Her father had always wanted to be buried back home in Sweden, but when her mother died, he did as she wished and had the Daae mausoleum built near to the city they had all loved so very much. There was a part of her that blamed her father for filling her head with fantasies and starting this mess. "Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing," she said to herself, the bitter tone leaving a similar taste in her mouth. "Her father promised her he would send her the Angel of Music. He promised her." She lifted the roses back in front of her and picked at the petals, letting the wilted ones fall to her feet. She had come here for guidance yet she only felt anger and frustration.
"You were once my one companion. You were all that mattered. You were once a friend and father. Then my world was shattered." She paused to look to her side, attempting to gauge the distance between herself and the coachman. Ah well, everyone thought she was insane already. Christine exhaled slowly, then lifted her face to the mausoleum and began to sing. "Wishing you were somehow here again. Wishing you were somehow near. Sometimes it seemed if I'd just dream, somehow you would be here. Wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never would." She smiled almost resentfully at the thought. "Dreaming of you won't help me to do all that you dreamed I could."
Christine paused, then took a step closer to the stairs into the grave. "Passing bells and sculpted angels, cold and monumental, seem for you the wrong companions. You were warm and gentle." She caught herself, a sob thick in her throat. "Too many years fighting back tears. Why can't the past just die?" She clutched the roses to her chest. "Wishing you were somehow here again, knowing we must say goodbye. Try to forgive, teach me to live. Give me the strength to try!" She gathered her courage and began to climb the stairs as her resolve to survive this ordeal grew. "No more memories, no more silent tears. No more gazing across the wasted years. Help me say goodbye." She finally stopped before the doors, reaching to touch the handle. "Help me say goodbye!" She felt a warm tear cascade down her cheek as she sang the high note, this time smiling as it fell. Maybe this would all end in a disaster, but she was going to live. She needed to.
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
Yeah, he's a lot. I feel like they wanted him to be a good guy so much that they had to sacrifice his personality in the process. At the risk of making him kinda sh-tty , I am willing to give him personality. You're good. I like how it feeds into her guilt of not trusting him when he tries to explain himself. Really, she just feels a lot of guilt and they need to sit down and actually talk about things, which leads us to this moment which will almost resolve things until BOOM! Enter the jealous third dude of this messy triangle. You can split it. She tells him in the graveyard that Giry told her what his life was before, she summarizes, he scoffs and begins to correct her, then Raoul shows up. Then when she asks his name, later on, she can also ask him to finish telling her his side of the story.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxDear Lord, he really needed to go outside every so often even if just to the rooftop of the theater. As hazy as it was, it still somewhat blinded him. At least by the time he’d made it to the graveyard, his vision had cleared up to where he wasn’t squinting anymore. The song he heard, however, was very much a sad one.
xxxxx“Wandering child so lost, so helpless yearning for my guidance,” he responded gently to her high note coming to a close. Aside from being filled with sorrow, her voice had never wavered from how he’d taught her. Swiping a tear away before he too began to cry, he readjusted his feet a bit just to lean back against the cross he hid behind. Say something, stupid!
xxxxxOpening his mouth to speak again, Erik found too many words he wished to say, and yet they weren’t piecing together as they needed to. What could he say? What should he say? She was afraid of him, the one thing he never wanted her to be. It was only fair she was afraid though. She’d seen him kill a man.
xxxxx“The one companion that mattered until the world shattered, eh? You could say that again,” he breathed out as he watched how the cold affected his breath. Was it really cold enough to see one’s breath? Were his nerves just too damaged to tell the temperature of things? Even after all of these years, that still bothered him. And then here she was out in this cold too. Then again, unlike the thin fabrics she wore in his world of darkness, she had what was likely thicker clothes to maintain some sort of warmth. “Same for the death of the past. If only life were that simple...”
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
Just do with him as you will ‘cause he is one of those characters. And that sounds good. And like I said previously, I’m adding actual dialogue between verses with the graveyard scene.
Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 2:13 am
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
Christine whirled around at the voice, her fist raised in a manner that was supposed to be much more threatening than it looked. She couldn't see him, yet she felt him all the same. That, and she knew what her master's voice sounded like. She narrowed her eyes and took a couple of steps away from the mausoleum and towards his voice. A tremble arose in her belly and worked its way up to her chest, but she would not let it rise any higher. The murder of Joseph Buquet had ruined any hope she had of letting him see her as vulnerable as she'd been that night in the cavern.
"Your guidance? From the person who killed an innocent man right in front of me?" She scoffed, her biting reply the most disrespectful she'd ever been to him. Although it did cause her inner desire to please him to flinch, Christine ground her feet into the stone and made the decision not to back down. If he wanted her blind respect, he shouldn't have killed someone in a theater full of people.
Christine lowered her fist and the bouquet. She placed the roses on the railing of the stairs and took a daring step away from the mausoleum. "I only believed that you were a magical angel sent to me by my father when I was still a child, but I have always believed that we found each other for a reason." She crossed her arms after a quick breeze rushed through the graveyard and blew right through her thick cloak. She coughed a little, then shook her head and blinked as she gathered her thoughts once again. "I still believe that. However, I no longer know who you are. I wonder if I ever did."
She sighed deeply, turning her head to the right and closing her eyes. "Angel or father? Friend or Phantom? Who is it there, staring?" She bowed her head and opened her eyes, directing them out at the graveyard. "Come out, Master. I came alone. There is no one but me and you here." She paused, glancing around at the gravestones. "Well, no one else who can speak or protest."
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
I'll keep him close and make sure to make him just jerk-ish enough that it makes sense why she'd pick Erik, but still realistic. Sounds good to me. I want to make an emphasis on the fact that she's not being hypnotized or manipulated by him, made clearer by the conversation that they're having. If you wanna add to the turmoil, we could even have them touch at that part with "Wildly my mind beats against you, yet the soul obeys" and maybe even have a silent moment during the conversation/argument where they realize that there really is a spark of something verboten and passionate between them before Raoul pops ups and ruins the moment Also, I really love the image of her deciding that her best defense against a man who literally broke another man's neck is a little fist and a bouquet of roses whee I'm sorry I took a bit to respond. Yesterday was my birthday and I spent the whole day distracted by cake and presents.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxReally? She was going to man up and start this dance because of a misunderstanding? Oh how he wanted to kick this little tombstone of a hiding place over just to snap at her. But no. That was a bridge best not crossed, one not to be burned yet. Things could still be mended between them. He had to believe that or his already crumbling world would shatter in one massive explosion.
xxxxx”Yes, my guidance. You don’t even,” Erik responded with a brief shake of the head, his words being cut short to keep him from saying too much. Sighing softly as he readjusted a glove, his eyes shifted off to the side. “You do not have any idea about what you saw. You think you do, but all is not as it seems. And in all technicalities, he was dead by the time you showed up when you were supposed to be getting changed. It took me by surprise too.”
xxxxxGlancing over at a nearby angel statue, he carefully stepped away from his hiding place just to gently brush some snow from its surface. “Have you forgotten your angel?” It wasn’t really a question directed towards her, but at both of them. She was his angel just as he was to her.
xxxxx“There’s always someone, dearie, or even something. You just aren’t aware of it until it shows itself to you in even the subtlest ways. Even now, I’m merely waiting for it to show itself to me... Maybe that’s just me though,” he murmured with the slightest smile near the end. It vanished just as fast as it’d come though. Treading lightly upon the snow covering the ground and keeping a tombstone or statue between Christine and him, he let his fingers trace over their surfaces simply to dust the snow off of them as he had the angel statue. “I don’t want you to be scared of me... I don’t want you to look at me the way they did, the way they still do...”
xxxxxStepping into the opening between two tombstones, he kept the side of his face with the mask directed towards Christine yet had turned his gaze up towards the sky. The sky only seemed to reflect the gloom that came with all that he had, and this tragedy hanging over the two. “Why did you seek me out then? I told you that I’d contact you, not the other way around. You were always so good about following my instructions down to the letter, but then... Why couldn’t you just wait for me like you were supposed to?”
xxxxxDon’t do it, Erik. Do not let yourself waver. Biting back the hurt, he stepped back towards the tombstone he’d just come out from behind albeit not fully behind it. “I thought I knew my angel of music, but you’re not what I thought you were. It seems we were both wrong, but we were brought together for a reason. There has to have been a reason. If not...”
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
Yes! The passion and turmoil that it shall bring. I’m also thinking of adding in a few sparks when Raoul does jump in along with the sword fight and some taunts... Technically it’d just be harmless magic trick fire meant to spook the man ‘cause Erik’s still trying to play nice so that later his “Point of No Return” for Christine was actually following through in turning from gentle angel to murdering monster. emotion_kirakira You likey? No likey? And happy belated birthday! My birthday is on Memorial Day Weekend. The 29th to be specific.
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 1:26 pm
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Years of being yanked around by man after man was finally beginning to take its toll and Christine was tired of keeping her voice down when she'd been taught to let it soar. She was a person, not simply an instrument to be played. For all of his faults, at least her father had understood that. Her master seemed not to. This realization brought her more courage and she took a step down the stairs.
"Do not speak down to me like I'm a child," she insisted. She didn't stomp her foot down, knowing it would do little to help her point, but she relished in this newfound defiance in the face of her teacher. After spending so much time on her knees, worshipping at his feet, she was now making the choice to stand.
Her jaw tensed when he revealed himself. Her stomach fluttered at his appearance, betraying her anger with a joyful flip. It was so hard to hate this man and the mess that had been made when her body still reacted so honestly and earnestly at his presence. She cleared his throat in an attempt to clear her mind as well of the traitorous affections she still felt. She watched him walk between the tombstones, the chill that had rattled her before replaced with a ghost of familiar warmth. She placed her bare hand on the snow-covered railing and took another step down, each movement she made bringing her closer to him. "I am not afraid of you, Master. I never have been and I never will be." She spoke very quietly, as though raising her voice would spook and send him away once again.
"You humiliated La Carlotta. I did not believe that was right." Her explanation, though short, illustrated far more of Christine's character than her recent streak of disobedience ever would. As much as she disliked Carlotta, she never once agreed with how he had gone about securing Christine the lead role. "You forget that I have grown up. I am no longer a child seeking fatherly affection and understanding. Before your very eyes, I have become a woman with my own mind, my own desires, my own ideas of what is just and what is not. You cannot teach me to rebel against the opera house and then feel shocked when it backfires." She bit back an ironic chuckle at this. "Raoul may not be the man of my dreams, but regardless of his motives, at least he recognizes that I am a grown woman now."
She took two further steps down when he partially rehid himself. This time she knew where he was, so she directed her attention at it and took one more step, now at the base of the stairs. Christine shook her head at him. "I am not an angel. I never was." Her snow-covered hand, cold and numb, rose to touch her blonde curls. Snow continued to fall all around them and got caught on her cheeks and eyelashes. She blinked them away. "What endless longings echo in this whisper?" Christine couldn't help herself as a tear left her eye once again, the sorrow of losing the one person she'd trusted all this time hitting her hard now that they were finally alone and speaking again after all these months apart. She wiped it away.
"We are both humans, Master, not angels. Perhaps it is finally time that we find out what that truly means." She cautiously moved a foot toward him. "Is it possible for you to see me as I am? Or will you only continue to mourn what you wanted me to be? I cannot." She exhaled deeply. "I cannot mourn the angel I wished for you to be. Instead I desire to know the man that you truly are, regardless of the consequences."
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
Passion, turmoil, and I want to add to the just overall done-ness of Christine. She's sick of being treated like a child by Erik and like a fragile little thing by Raoul and I want to grow on that. I do likey, there's something to be said about the effectiveness of stage pyrotechnics. whee So we're keeping the murder of Piangi by Erik from the canon? Buquet may have deserved it, but idk if Piangi does. Thank you! I will be sure to send you a gift! 3nodding
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxOoh. Defiance had set in it seemed, something he’d thought she’d never do. It was so out of character to him. This was all that stupid Raoul’s fault. Ever since he entered the picture, things weren’t flowing as smoothly as before. Well, him and those new managers. They were the wrench in his opera house that simply needed to go back to wherever they came from.
xxxxx“You think I haven’t noticed you’ve been maturing into a fine young woman? That is something hard to miss. And I’m not trying to act like a father,” Erik retorted with a slight turn of his head to somewhat face the blonde beauty. Silly girl placing her hand on the railing like that. She was far more susceptible to the cold than he was. He really should be less secretive than he was being with her, but... “Don’t compare me to that man.”
xxxxxBrushing his hair behind his ear, he seemed to take a minute to shake off something negative behind being considered fatherly. “Oh please. Don’t defend that ridiculous peacock. I feel pity for her dog. She has potential, mind you, but her enlarged head about it makes me feel ill,” he breathed out with a roll of his eyes. That woman deserved so much worse, so much more permanent, but he didn’t do it. A minor prank like that wouldn’t even mar her reputation any, and it was most likely forgotten by now. “If those idiots had followed instructions better, then it wouldn’t have even happened. It’s as I said, their job lies in an office, not the arts. Aside from that, the masses have already forgotten that little croaking incident for more pressing matters. And it’s not like it was permanent. She needed a good look at the larger picture, a tidbit of humility so she could see the error of her ways.”
xxxxxSighing heavily, he shook his head before stepping back out into the open and turned to face her. “Really? You have the audacity to say you’re allowed to call me an angel of music for years, but I’m not allowed to call you one? That’s pretty cold considering it’s how I’ve seen you, in the metaphorical sense,” he chuckled, his feet moving him a bit closer only to stop when a frown crept its way to the surface. “Too long you’ve wandered in winter far from my far-seeing gaze... All I’ve ever done since we met, Christine, was done to protect and help you as I said I would. Did I miss things like Carlotta’s constantly belittling of you? Yes, but I’m far from perfect. I’ve never lied to you either, unless you count omitting details as lying.”
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
Who doesn’t love pyrotechnics? No. I’m thinking more along the lines of choking him out so he’s unconscious from lack of air since I’m also not really thinking Piangi is kill worthy. (That sounds so horrible.) And you don’t have to do that. Just picking back up on this was a wonderful gift. And I add a maniacal laugh here with a trigger warning for Erik. He doesn’t like being called fatherly even if he technically is being fatherly. The story begins to unfold.
Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 12:32 pm
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
She huffed, blonde curls quivering from the movement. He knew she was maturing, but then why did he continue to treat her as if she were a vulnerable child in need of discipline? She was a ballerina before all of this mess, she'd been disciplined enough! And then came her master with all of these rules set to protect her that isolated her from the rest of the world.
Christine bit back the amused smile from his rude, but accurate description of Carlotta. He was right, of course. La Carlotta was talented, but her personality and lack of ability to admit her mistakes made her impossible to work with. Although she'd been humiliated, Carlotta had gotten her spunk back in the time since then and was even performing again. His prank had largely been harmless. However, Christine hadn't known that it wasn't permanent when it happened. She honestly believed that he had destroyed Carlotta's voice and her livelihood. She was about to open her mouth and insist that it wasn't his place to discipline others when he cut her off with a sigh and appeared fully in front of her. She caught her breath, closing her mouth tightly and swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. As he stepped closer, she did as well until there were only a few feet between them.
"That isn't what I meant and you know that." She insisted. "I called you my angel of music because I was a child who needed to believe that my father wouldn't really leave me all alone in the world. What I'm trying to say is that-" She cut herself off, cursing and raising an ice-cold hand to her forehead. "D-mn it. I don't want you to see me as an angel! I want you to see me as a woman, a real woman! A flesh and blood woman with wants and desires and a need to be near you, even after all that's happened." She exhaled sharply, shaking her head and dipping her chin. "Wildly, my mind beats against you." She inhaled, then lifted her head and sighed. "Yet my soul obeys and my heart remains faithful to you." Her jaw tensed as she stared at him, fully and unafraid. She wouldn't speak her feelings, but her eyes expressed them without abandon. Her engagement to Raoul was one of convenience, not love on her part. She would never love Raoul the way she loved Erik.
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
Horrible, but effective. I like sparing Piangi's life. It'll really cement that he's not a complete monster in Christine's mind. Of course I don't have to, but I want to. Oop I can't wait for that slip of the tongue to happen again.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxxStanding face-to-face, Erik could feel his toes curling inside his boots whilst his gaze fell to the snowy ground. She’d been mildly amused, at least he was pretty sure she had been, at his describing Carlotta. It’s not like he lied or embellished anything. Carlotta was, well, Carlotta.
xxxxxCarefully, hesitantly, he finally seemed to gather up the courage to raise his eyes to meet with Christine’s own. She was definitely all he thought she’d be, and even a little something more. Lifting his hand up to chest level in something of a motion for stopping her words yet never lowering it. “That’s not very ladylike, Christine.” Sure, he’d admonished her, but he had the hint of a smile on his face due to trying to hold in a chuckle. It was just amusing how she’d gone about it.
xxxxx“I know you’re a real woman with wants and desires of your own, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be someone’s angel. I needed someone, an angel of my own, and then I saw you. And it was like a voice cut through the dark and called out to me,” he breathed out, his gaze trying to figure out what all it was running through the girl’s head. As if coming to a conclusion, he slightly shook his head. “I’ll always be near, but... You don’t understand why I hide in shadow. It only ever ends badly if I leave that darkness. That theater’s all I have besides you...”
xxxxxTaking a second, Erik finished reaching up to brush the blonde curls behind the girl’s ear. “You resist yet your soul obeys,” he purred with the gentlest of sad smiles sliding back into place, his hand gently touching the back of hers. Unfortunately for that brief moment of connection that felt like a spark shot through him, the expression she’d given him on the catwalk and the rooftop scene popped into his head making him point directly at the girl.
xxxxx“I trusted you, Christine. I let you into my home, and you turned from me to go to him. I want to believe in your words, to still be able to trust you,” he added coolly, that gentle sadness air about him just entirely seemed to shift into hurt. “Angel of music, you denied me, turning from true beauty. Angel of music, do not shun me. Come to your strange angel... Come back to me.”
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
Get outta my head! lol
I’mma find an ugly stick and beat you with it. -sigh- I feel like I’m arguing with another one of my friends that’s all “I wanna do it!” even when I said “No!”
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 1:01 pm
♫Christine Daaé♫
Little Lottie dreams of everything...
Despite herself, Christine felt a small smile appear on her face at his admonishment and breathlessly huffed a chortle while shaking her head. This wasn't the time to be amused by him. She knew that, and yet she still was. This conversation was ridiculous. They might never agree and she wasn't about to bend to his will simply because he 'd been her savior for so many years. However, she was slowly beginning to understand him just a little more, bit by bit.
She turned her head into his hand when he brushed her curls back, swallowing hard and lowering her gaze to the ground. Christine waited patiently for the butterflies to dissipate before she looked back up at him, resolve in her eyes. "I am beginning to understand," she said quietly, her hand turning to touch his. "Madame Giry told us of your past before you came to the opera house. I'm certain it isn't the full story, but what small amount I've been told does help me to comprehend, however little, why you hide in the darkness. But you don't have to hide anymore, Master. Not with me." Her pretty face softened towards him, affection bringing a small crack to her tone.
A shock of guilt emanated through her slender frame at his accusation. She knew that going to Raoul had betrayed him, and she'd done it anyway. She winced under his hurt gaze, knowing that she'd broken his trust as much as he'd broken hers. She took a deep breath, then raised her chin, looked him directly in the eye, and took a step closer to him. Maybe she couldn't fix things and return them to how they'd been before, but she could at least begin to mend what had remained. "They want me to be in Don Juan in order to ensnare you. We will perform it as promised, but you must stay away." She reached for his hand, a deep sadness in her eyes. "Angel of music, I denied you, turning from true beauty." She caught her breath, feeling that old familiar urge to kneel at his feet and beg for forgiveness, but she would not give in to that feeling. It was time for her to be strong. "Angel of music, my protector. Come to me, strange angel."
At the moment, a horse rode up to the graveyard carrying a sole and very angry passenger. He leaped off of the horse beside the carriage that had carried Christine in and began to sneak through the graveyard in his attempt to find her. Christine was never supposed to be alone, and yet here she was, wandering out all by herself and leaving herself open to the Phantom menace's grip. He would never let her belong to that monster again, not now that she finally belonged to him.
...and of nothing.
Dantes_river
HAHA too late! Life already did that to me! twisted
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.xxx Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."
xxxxx“Madame Giry told you? That just makes my day so much better,” Erik sighed tiredly, the sarcasm laid perhaps a little too thickly into those words. She gave a portion of his story away so freely, only what she knew, but it still hurt after she swore she’d never tell a soul. Madame Giry was as much a traitor as everyone else. “No real surprise. It had seemed she was starting to lean towards their side, but I didn’t think she’d actually tell anyone what she knew. No. Correction: I hoped she’d never tell like she said she would. And the cycle begins anew.”
xxxxxGently tugging her cloak a bit more closed so she’d stay warm with the icy breeze passing through, he gave her a slight shake of the head. “She told you the vague tales of the devil’s child from the fair clientele, and of his mysterious escape from his cage when they were in the city. Not all of the tales were embellished, mind you, but they were always so very vague. Whilst the world thought him dead, and eventually even forgot about him, he took refuge for some time in the Opera Populaire. And then he died just to return as a specter of time long past in order to bring about a better future...” That said, he gently tapped the end of her nose with one long finger. Perhaps that would clear up some of what he’d told her down in his lair, vague as it was. Maybe it’d also make her stop trying to figure him out for a little while.
xxxxx“They may try all they’d like, but I don’t intend to be caught. As for missing you perform, that I cannot do. Either way, you should be a little more wary about lingering in the snow on a hazy day such as this. If you were to get sick, you’d be unable to perform and it’d be such a waste,” he murmured softly before holding his hand palm up between them. Though he was still hurt, he just wanted her to come back to him. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.
xxxxx“I am your angel of music... Come to me, angel of music. Please...”
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor. xxxGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garrish light of day, xxxturn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night."
Mayah Playah
lol
And a little bit more of the story is revealed... sorta kinda.
