The portal to the Underground was more or less an elevator
The portal to the Underground was more or less an elevator. Meg had only been in an elevator perhaps twice in her life, and quickly, the dancer became queasy. She looked up at this stranger-turned-ally and wondered how he could stay so composed while she felt like the ground could slip from beneath her feet at any moment. Nadir smiled at her and suddenly, the downward movement stopped. They stepped out onto an unfamiliar street. Meg looked upon it in wonder and questioned how this world could function without the Empire's knowledge. Buildings were not uniform or monochromatic as the world above and arches and spires and other architectural oddities dotted the city-like landscape. Meg's thin lips formed a small "o" and Nadir smiled. He always took the Underground for granted—it was so part of his world. He took a few steps before realizing that an awestruck Meg was still drinking in the sight. Impatiently, Nadir watched the girl watch the world around them.
"Sir," she asked softly, "How come the Emperor doesn't know about this place?"
Nadir shrugged. "He knows it exists, just not where. We try to keep it that way."
Meg nodded and followed Nadir silently down twists and turns of alleys and streets. Her legs were strong, but considerably shorter than Nadir's so Meg found it hard to keep up. Suddenly, Nadir paused in front of an odd looking building.
"Your instructor's apartment," he said, indicating the door as he walked up the six steps leading to it. He rang the doorbell.
It took a full twenty seconds before the door was answered and Meg gasped in horror at the sight before her. A man—or what must have been a man at some point—stood on the threshold. His eyes were yellow and intense; his skin taut across misshapen cheekbones and distinctly gray in areas. Though he did not gasp, the look on his face was of equal shock. He turned his attention to Nadir and glared.
"Daroga, get in here this very instant," he said with cold harshness.
"The girl, Erik?"
"Bring her as well. We can hardly have her running about the Underground screaming and having hysterics." The thing called "Erik" snapped. Then, to Meg, he added, "Don't touch anything."
Meg nodded and followed Nadir inside. Nadir was dark skinned, but had considerably paled the moment Erik spoke to him. Still, he gave Meg a reassuring look as they entered the apartment. "Wait for us in the living room."
Meg nodded and she made her way into the room Nadir pointed to. Nadir, on the other hand, followed Erik into a cramped kitchen where a tense silence ensued as he and Erik stood on opposite sides of the center island, only two feet apart, staring at each other
"You were supposed to give me notice, Nadir," Erik hissed, gripping the sides of the island so that his knuckles whitened. "You know full well that in the privacy of my home I do not find it necessary to mask myself. Yet you bring this Meg Giry to my home, unannounced. What exactly was going through your mind? Anything?"
Nadir's nostrils flared slightly and he put his hands parallel to Erik's. "She's seen you early on. Did you hear a scream? Because I didn't. She's afraid but she handled it better than Chris--"
Nadir was cut short by an angry and throaty groan. Erik pivoted and turned to a nearby counter, not willing to look at Nadir as he mentioned her. Nadir sighed, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Meg was afraid, yes. But by being honest early on, she'll get to know you as who you are and not this enigmatic Master you acted as for Christine. I'm going to keep saying her name because you need to move on and be willing to train Meg. Meg is someone entirely different, so we're going to try a different approach."
"Who said there was a 'we'?" Erik snapped, turning back around.
Nadir gave a dubious laugh and shook his head. "Listen to yourself, Erik! You're completely missing the point. The point isn't me or you. The point is Meg. Give her a chance. Please, Erik. The Empire depends on it. The Fighters depend on it. Stop fighting your cause every step of the way."
Erik gave a quick and loud sigh as he began rummaging through a nearby drawer. From it, he retrieved a white full-face mask. Putting it on, he turned to face Nadir.
"I'll give her a chance, but I'll take no more surprises from you, Nadir Khan."
Bowing his head in acceptance, Nadir agreed to those terms knowing full well that any more "surprises" from him could terminate his service to the Fighters. He and Erik were both Squadron Commanders—equal in rank. But because Erik had no current squadron, he had only himself to look out for and less to lose. Nadir, on the other hand, had much more at stake. On that note, Erik stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room.
While the two men fought, Meg took to observing Erik's living room. She had yet to sit down but had, thus far seen all the antiques on display. Pocket watches in little glass boxes winked up at her. A cuckoo clock chimed on the wall. On the coffee table sat an odd looking box with a metallic creature atop it. She was studying that box when Erik returned.
"So I see you've taken an interest in my scorpion," he observed. He was masked now and his yellow eyes glinted observantly beneath the white cloth. "The grasshopper that goes with it is over there." He pointed to a similar box on another table. "What do you think of the scorpion?"
Meg looked at the creature with a more appraising eye. It had pincers or claws of some sort and its tail came to a nasty point. She shuddered.
"I don't like it," she said bluntly.
Erik chuckled and brought the box with the grasshopper upon it to Meg. "And the grasshopper?"
Though ugly, the grasshopper looked far less frightening than the scorpion; it had no pinchers, no malevolent tail. Meg smiled a little.
"It's better than the scorpion."
Erik smiled grimly; his thin, dry lips were visible just below the bottom of the mask. "But looks can be deceiving things. Beware of the grasshoppers of the world, Little Giry. That's the first lesson you should learn from me."
"Are you a grasshopper or a scorpion, sir?" Meg asked warily.
Erik gave a deep chuckle. Yes… She was smarter than he'd given her credit for, quick, too. "You shall know soon enough."
A/N: So, it's been a very long time since I updated. And for this, I apologize profusely. I hope it's not too much of an imposition to ask for reviews, but I'll do it anyways. All feedback is much appreciated. Thank you so much for your patience!