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((I think we all need to do a little nonsense before the Masquerade. Might as well go with the former.))

It had been a while since she'd seen Erik. Not to say she had any idea what she would tell the man if she saw him, but it was rather unnerving to say the least.

The past few weeks had been rather uneventful aside from the short funeral a few days after Joseph Buquet's death. Not many had attended to honor his memory (for who wanted to honor a drunkard and a pervert?) but a handful of his fellow workers had showed up, along with herself and a seamstress who was an old lover of his.

The Opera house as far as she knew it was not holding any performances. Whether or not because of the death of the chief scene-shifter or not (though the former was most probable compared to the latter) was only known to the managers and the press.

Antoinette had woken at dawn this morning, taking her time to get dressed in her usual soot-colored skirts and blouse like every other morning of the year and braiding her hair only to coil a part of it and pin it back. Her knee had been acting up as of late, she supposed from stress, so her cane was always at her side if it already hadn't been so.

The girls were dressed in their dirtied plain ballerina skirts, tights, and leggings all either stretching or doing routines from other Operas they had performed months prior to all this nonsense. The dancers had a large room nestled away for them in the very back of the Opera house near the costume rooms. The walls were all mirror and the flooring all polished wood so it was easier to flit about on.

Every now and again, she stomped her cane to correct the pacing of one girl or two, but the insults she usually put forth to light a fire under the girls' feet was not there or simply half-hearted.

Things were quiet, but she did not expect them to be very long. It was nearing the end of the year and there was always some grand celebration here. M. Lefevre had always held an exquisite bal masque, or masquerade. Some talked that the two new flop-headed managers would continue the lovely tradition. For sanity's sake she hoped so. Such a thing would be seen as a beacon of hope in such odd times.

How could the death of one lowly man be such a big deal? Perhaps because rumors flew ruthlessly--much more than they had when the starter of such rumors lived. It was too often she now found her girls whispering about "the Phantom" instead of any other gossip that might arise such as Christine's little fling with the Viscount. That was often overshadowed by morbid ideas.

Speaking of which...

"I hear Martin saw the Phantom flee after he killed Buquet!"

"Martin? Really? Isn't he the one with the big feet?"

"Yes! He said the Phantom was a fearsome devil with horns coming right out of his head!"

"Horns you say! What about his death's head?"

"He had on all three!*"

"Oh my!"

Antoinette furrowed her thin brows, stomping the cane three times. The two girls stood apart from one another, faces red at being discovered again.

"Julianne! Charlotte!" Mme. Giry screamed. All eyes were on the three now. "How many times have I told you not to say such things?" The girls went back to their routine, grumbling and making faces they thought she could not see. Obviously they forgot mirrors surrounded them on all sides.

Mirrors. Erik hated them. She hated them as well. A mirror always told her just how old she was getting. How much longer she could still be considered pretty. Antoinette sighed, not hearing one of the two mutter to the other about Joseph's rumor of their ballet mistress being the notorious Phantom's harlot.

((*Kudos to those who remember the multiple heads Erik was said to have in the book.))

Meg heard the girls talk about her mother that way. Meg's face turned bright red. She went up to one of the girls that said that and slapped her. No on, I mean no one, was going to talk about her mother that way without getting away with it.

" You diry petite rat! No! Not petite! Fat rat! You can't dance even if your life depended on it"

Meg had had enough. Her mother was a good god fearing woman and was not a harlot.

" Never talk about my mother that way! Joseph Buquet said things abot my mother and look what happened to him!"

Meg yelled trying to make a point. She never liked Buquet. He tried to peek under over her corset many times.

" You would be killed by the Phantom too if my Mama didn't protect us!"

((Thanks, Utakan. The managers have always been fun to write about for me...))

It wasn't long until Moncharmin heard the door open once more, and his partner entered. But to the manager's surprise, he didn't hear Firmin closed the door. He looked up inquiringly to see what could be the matter.

Firmin looked mildly embarrassed. "Would you happen to know where I could find that blasted paper boy?" he asked.

Moncharmin sighed. "Have you ever considered asking one of those lovely people on the street? They happen to live here too, you know, and might know something."

"I didn't come back to listen to you prattling on about me-"

"Come off it, Monsieur. It doesn't matter if they're 'below' your station- stopping one of them to ask a simple question won't lower your public status."

"I'm not concerned about-"

"Oh yes you are. Stop puffing up like that, Firmin. You look ridiculous when you start acting like that. I know all too well how worried you are about how we appear in public. Damn if I'm not a bit worried myself, after that fiasco at our Opera last month, but I'm only a -bit- worried. After all, as you have mentioned, our stars have been rising in the public eye."

Firmin sighed. "Will you just tell me where to find the ones who run that paper you've got?"

Moncharmin wordlessly dropped the paper he'd been reading on Firmin's desk. "Why bother? I'm all done with it."

"But you said earlier-"

"It got you a bit of exercise, Monsieur Firmin. Which, I must say, you do need." Ignoring his partner's glare, Moncharmin stood and headed towards the door. "I'm off for a bit. Why don't you sit down and relax a bit? You're looking a bit stressed."

And chuckling to himself, Moncharmin closed the door behind him before Firmin could make a retort.

It wasn't often that he could get a rise out of his business partner, but it was certainly worth it! Especially over something as silly as a daily paper!

Though that had been a close call. He'd have to ask that stagehand- what was his name?- about where one got papers when you didn't just take them from your employees.

((Not that Erik's there to hear a word she's saying. Certainly she would receive a bit of a shock if he were to humor her and send her a note. It would probably be something along the lines of "Shut up".))

(( It would be like " Dear Meg: Shut up. O.G." Can we start "Masquerade" soon? ))

Meg looked in her closet and found her Masquerade Gown. It was white with silver trim. It had a small trail behind it and was strapless. She would her wear her hair done up with a few swan feathers in it. Meg decided she would never tell about the passage.

She sighed. Was The Phantom Christine's angel? She decided she should talk to the managers about the Masquerade. She was finally old enough to go this year. She put her dress away and closed her closet.

Meg made her way to the grand foyer and went through one of the halls that led to the managers office. She knocked slowly.

(I'm ready to go on, I'm just deciding on how to postish)

((Alright, alright. We'll start "Masquerade"...as soon as Jurori posts the manager's part. Utakan may NPC the main portion of the song. She seemed like she wanted to do it, and since her character doesn't get to do much singing otherwise it would hardly be fair of me to deny her the opportunity. She'll do the song up until that part where all of the individual characters have their lines, and then she'll pick up the verse and continue on until it comes to Erik's entrance. She may break it up however she wishes to allow other characters the opportunity to post. She may also play Carlotta and Piangi because I think they have lines somewhere, and I don't know anything about the girl who signed up to play her.

Well, I'll try to stay silent until it comes time for my entrance. I've been horrible about saying that and then doing a lot of OOC posting.))