Suggestions For A Teacher (Tag: Christine)

[Erik]

Erik carefully navigated the halls, keeping his cloak tightly around him and his hat pulled over his eyes. He hated being out in the open like this, but he'd finally found a teacher for the little Swedish girl, Mademoiselle Daae. He'd been thinking about that little song of hers, off and on. It was quite catchy, he thought. Sad, to be sure, but it flowed well and stuck in one's mind quite easily.

He pulled the little card out of his pocket. It had the name of a suitable teacher, not very far from the Garnier, who would be quite pleased to receive a student of such potential. In order to get her the card, however, Erik found that perhaps the best way to approach the situation would be by making sure that the card was placed directly in her way, where she could find it. To further her career would please her, would it not? It would certainly please any of the other dullards here...

Erik knelt down outside her door, sliding the card quickly through the gap between the door and the threshold. He stood, silently, and turned, pulling his cloak further around him.

[Christine Daaé]

Rehearsals had been underway for a production of Le Nozze di Figarothat the company was preparing for their new season. The rehearsal had just ended and Christine was walking back to her dressing room in order to collect some of her things before returning home to Mamma Valerius.

It was by no means an opera that she disliked, and yet it made no difference in the fact that she did not wish to be there. This was a job. That was all. She would come in, sing as she was told to, and then leave. That was that and there was to be nothing more of it.

Her dressing-room was quite a long way from the others, and so she was alone while walking that evening… She really preferred it that way, for otherwise she might be asked questions, and when one was asked questions, it was only the polite thing to do to give an answer in response.

As she rounded the corner though, she caught a glimpse of a tall, cloaked figure leaning in front of her door. “Hello?” she called out. Was he lost. After all, there were no other dressing rooms around here. Her room shared a wall with the big crush room, and so there wasn’t a terribly great amount of extra space…

[Erik]

MERDE! Erik knew it was her...Rehearsals had ended earlier than he'd anticipated. He quickly bolted around the closest corner, in the opposite direction from her voice. There was a panel around here somewhere....Ah! There!

His fingers worked the switch easily, and he was let through into the passageway without any need for haste. She couldn't follow him quickly, not from the size of her stride. He shut the panel behind himself, and took the opportunity to breathe. That was far too close an encounter for his liking.

After a few moments of rest, Erik made his way back to the two-way mirror. Time to see if she'd be happy with the opportunity he'd given to her.

A smug little smile formed on Erik's lips. Of course she'd be happy with it. And then he could finally have a diva in this company who could really sing with the spark of ingeniousness that he was looking for. Carlotta was a fine singer, but she lacked the true acting abilities that Erik was looking for. The ability to incite an emotion within the audience. This little girl could do it, once she attended her lessons.

[Christine Daaé]

The figure seemed startled and quickly bolted and left. Christine took a few quick paces to try to catch him, but it was of no use, really, for he had much longer legs than she did. “Monsieur?” she called. “Is there anyone else here…?” There was no reply but deafening silence. The girl stood confused for a moment, but decided that it must not have been very important—whatever it was—had the person left.

She made her way to her dressing room door and unlocked it and stepped in when she felt something a bit slick beneath her foot and stopped. Bending down in order to see what it was, the young blonde woman picked it up and turned it over in her hand. It was a business card of some sort, and appeared to be for a professor of singing in the nearby are. “Odd,” she said softly slowed, and gave a little bit of a frown.

[Erik]

Erik watched as the girl flipped the card over in her hand, examining it. She had a little frown on her face. Perhaps she was confused? It was only natural, after spotting a stranger outside your door...Maybe she was thinking! Perhaps she was considering going to these lessons! Wondrous...then she'll be able to rise in the ranks!

Erik was pleased, to say the least, with himself. It wouldn't surprise him if she were smiling again once she was offered a good role. Ha! These good deeds aren't so hard. Erik leaned against the frame of the mirror, watching her movements. She seemed to be thinking about her next course of action. How to dress for a first lesson, as well as how to present one to their teacher for a first impression...well, those were very important matters, indeed!

[Christine Daaé]

Christine read over the card silently as she took a seat at her vanity. The address on the card said that it was in the eleventh district. That wasn’t anywhere close to the little flat on the Rue Notre-Dame-des-Victoires… “I wouldn’t be able to make it there tonight…” she said thinking aloud. “It would probably be best to check sometime tomorrow morning…”

She stood again, setting the card down on the vanity for a moment and then gathering her things together before picking up the card again and tucking it safely away in her pocket. She looked again at the portrait which was now resting on her vanity, and grasped the frame of the thing in her hand for a moment before letting it go and turning off the gas, and then heading out to make her way back home to her Mamma Valerius.

[Erik]

Erik nodded. So she intended on going then. Good. Perhaps he'd hear tomorrow, when she got back from seeing the teacher in the morning, about when her lessons would be and all the arrangements. After all, the girl had a habit of talking out loud to herself...

Even if she didn't say anything, he'd be able to tell that she'd taken the lessons from her happier demeanour. Obviously, she'd be happier. She'd be impressing that little portrait of hers.

But how to know when she'd get back to the Opera House...it was hardly as though he could wake himself up at a certain hour, living alone...so that meant that he could rule out sleeping at the little house on the lake. He might over sleep. Therefore, the only foreseeable solution would be to...to sleep here. In the dirty passageway between walls. This was going to be a disgusting night. No matter -- he'd been through worse times.

Erik took off his cloak and laid it out on the ground. Lowering himself onto the cloak, he settled himself in. The ground was dusty and there were cobwebs everywhere. He supposed there were spiders living in these little secret passages of his, as well...He'd have plenty of time until morning to think about different ways to ensure that the spiders would vacate this particular area.

However, Erik did not spend his hours thinking about the many different ways to exterminate spiders. Instead, he thought about that little Mademoiselle Daaé. Would she take his offer? He thought she would, but there was always the possibility...No, of course she would take his offer. She'd be stupid not to! After all the time and effort he'd put into it...

After a few hours of endless thought, Erik fell asleep, his head resting on the cool glass of the two-way mirror. He breathed lightly, one hand -- as ever -- on his lasso, poised for emergencies in such a vulnerable state.

[Christine Daaé]

The next day, Christine returned to the opera house at her usual time, dressed in her ordinary attire along with her ordinary melancholic attitude and distaste for being there. Nothing had changed from that day and the day before when she had found the business card in front of her door.

Earlier that day, she had gone to the address listed on the card, but it was not for the reason which one might think. No, in fact, Christine had gone to the place not to inquire about lessons, but to instead return the business card to the teacher in question. It was an odd little scene, really, coming to the door of the man’s studio with a business card in hand only to tell him that she was not interested in lessons, but just returning a card she had found for further use.

She sat down at her vanity and let down her hair to brush it and re-pin it so as it would fit well under the wig cap. She was supposed to have a costume fitting today, and so she needed to get ready for it.

[Erik]

Erik started as she walked through the door. He stood, brushing the dust from the bottom of his trousers, and watched her. She didn't give anything away as to the state of her lessons...And she wasn't talking to that portrait, like he'd thought she would. DAMN, he thought. I suppose I'll have to wait? No, no, that'll take too long....

Erik took one last look at the girl before resolving to go and ask Poligny about the state of the girl's lessons. He picked his cape up, shook it out, and draped it over his shoulders before hurrying toward the manager's office.

Poligny was usually pretty fast to help him. Ever since he'd heard Erik's voice, he was jumpy, but helpful to Erik. So what could he say that would ensure maximum cooperation? He could always try the straightforward method...Yes. Perhaps he'd go with that one today.

[|NPC ACCOUNT|]

Monsieur Poligny was in his and Monsieur Debienne’s office, sorting through some of the new and old paperwork and filing it into its appropriate respective places. Seeing as they had recently hired several new performers (singers, dancers, musicians, and supers alike!), there was quite a bit of paperwork for him to go through, and he had been doing so for several days now.

Monsieur Debienne was out for the moment (they had agreed to alternate times to take lunch in order to have at least one of them there to be contacted at all times, should something important come up), and so he was alone at present. It didn’t bother him terribly—he would take his lunch soon enough.

What the poor man did not realize at the moment was that a rather ghastly visitor was coming to see him. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d heard, no…. No, Monsieur Poligny had had far too many encounters with ‘the Opera Ghost’ than he would have liked to have had in a lifetime, but what was the man to do? At least he would be leaving the place soon enough. The two incoming managers, Messieurs Armad Moncharmin and Richard Firmin, would have to deal with it after that. It would no longer be his problem…

[Erik]

It was the day after he'd resolved to ask the managers about Christine's lessons when Erik walked up to the panel behind the desk of the manager's office. He usually acquired his salary through this panel, but right now, he had more important things on his mind. He looked through the small hole in the wall, peering at whoever was in the manager's office. Poligny. This would be easy then.

"Monsieur Poligny." Erik put on his most official voice and threw it to the chair in front of the desk. "I assume you received my earlier note about Mademoiselle Daaé, and I would like to know if you've followed up on her lessons like I asked?"

Watching, Erik had to stifle a small laugh. He loved watching the managers react to his presence. Scaring people was something that brought a little more joy to his everyday dull life wandering the walls of the opera house. That, and writing incriminating notes that scared everyone half to hell.

[|NPC ACCOUNT|]

Monsieur Poligny jumped at the sound of the voice which he had come to acknowledge as being that of the Opera Ghost. Ever since the moment he had first heard, after sitting in the ghost’s box during a performance, he could never forget.

“Y-yes, of c-course I have,” the Man stammered. “J-just like you said…” He had asked. He had called her into his office the previous afternoon and asked if she had inquired about lessons. The girl had replied to him that it was a misunderstanding and that she had simply gone to return a card that she’d found, and that she was not looking for a teacher at the moment.

Monsieur Poligny didn’t dare refuse a request from the Opera Ghost, though he did fear that this was perhaps not the news which he had been hoping for…

[Erik]

"And?" Erik crosses his fingers, waiting for Poligny to answer him. The man was so petrified of him, it seemed, that getting answers - while easy enough, mind - took forever. "She took them, I assume? Fantastic, I knew that the teacher was a good fit for her. I suggested it, after all..."

Erik was very proud of his little achievement. His initial discovery of Mademoiselle Daaé, and now his work of providing a teacher for her, made him feel all important. He had even had a wonderful conversation this morning with himself over how this discovery might be important to the future of the opera house. After all, she could be quite the little star with some work.

It would be interesting to hear Poligny's opinion of his choices. It would serve to broaden his scope of whether or not his discovery was good to the other management. It was a good choice, he knew, but having a secondary opinion was always a good thing.

[|NPC ACCOUNT|]

Monsieur Poligny winced. He had known that he was going to have to tell the ghost eventually, though he really was rather hoping that somehow the subject would be passed by without any further conversation. The man gave a nervous chuckle before replying. “Yes… Yes, you made an excellent suggestion… but umm…”

He paused, fearing the worse. Surely he would not hear the end of this… “She did not… take any lessons…” He bit his lip a moment before continuing on. “She said that she merely went in order to… t-to return the card…”

He winced again. There. It had been said. Now, of course, came the storm that was certain to follow. He absolutely hated being the bearer of bad news, particularly when the recipient of that bad news was none other than the Opera Ghost.

[Erik]

"WHAT?!" The words had burst from Erik's lips before he had time to control them. "HOW DARE SHE! I TOOK THE TROUBLE OF GETTING THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF A TEACHER FOR HER AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER TAKING LESSONS WITH HIM?! THE UNGRATEFUL LITTLE--!" He had to stop himself before foul language exploded from his mouth. He was MAD. No...more than mad...he was crazed with anger. He had done a lot for the little ungrateful whelp...He fumed, thinking over why she refused his assistance.

Then it hit him. She didn't want to be in the company....That's why she'd been so ecstatic that her audition was interrupted! That's why she refused the lessons! Well, she wasn't about to refuse Erik's assistance! She'd either take lessons or he'd make her suffer! Oh, yes. He'd have his revenge on her by keeping her in the company until she got some sense in that little blonde head of hers.

Erik was still livid, however. He muttered obscenities that still issued from the chair across from Poligny. It wasn't Erik's fault that he was mad. It was the girl's lack of sense when it came to a career that angered him.