Meg twirls around and shows off he dress for the evening: a nice little black number, the hem stops just short of her knees and there is a floral print across the chest. Fleck, Gangle and Squelch, and Raoul clap and jeer and whistle.

"Thank you," she spins again and bows.

"So, what do we know about this one?" Fleck asks.

"He's gainfully employed, can read and has a taste for the finer things in life," Meg says with a strange way about her. She avoids eye contact with her friends.

"Gainfully employed, where?" Squelch asks.

"Oh, you know. A place." Meg tries to brush it off, she waves her hand dismissively and checks her purse.

"A place, where." Raoul presses.

"The docks," Meg mumbles and her friends sigh and curse.

"So, he's shady and works for the mob." Her doctor friend does not hide his disappointment. Meg shakes her hands.

"No! Just because he works the docks doesn't mean he's a criminal!"

"He does dirty favors for the union teamsters." Raoul says half glaring. Fleck and the others nod.

"No! He is nice! He reads, he takes care of his mother, he can play the guitar. Musicians are nice! They—"

"Erik reads, he's a musician." Squelch points out.

"He is not nice." Fleck reminds her.

"Levi is a nice boy who is working to take care of his sick mother. He's not a violent addict. He's sweet." Meg half swoons as she thinks of him.

"You met him hustling pool, didn't you?" Gangle smiles sadly.

"Irrelevant."

"I don't think you can be trusted with your romantic and social choices anymore." Squelch says, he sighs and turns to the others, they agree.

"I think you need a chaperone for this, I think you need to have someone by your side, who can step in when you get weak and are about to make a terrible and stupid decision." Fleck pushes Raoul forward who yelps in surprise.

"I nominate our French friend here." Fleck slaps his back.

"I don't think that's necessary." Meg glares.

"The last seven years of your life have made this necessary." Gangle says grimly.

"What are you talking about?" Meg voice is squeaky, and she knows the answer.

"He broke your arm, he used you as a literal footstool once, he forbade the kitchen from feeding you when you screwed up during your vocal training," Squlech counts the offences with his fingers.

"You told me when you're intimate, he intentionally calls you Christine to hurt you for his amusement!" Fleck squeals. She has the sudden need to slap the stupid out of her friend and starts for her, but Raoul blocks her path.

"Erik can be really sweet. When it is just us and he allows himself to open up, drop the walls and be vulnerable, he's different. Human. Broken. Everything is silver and the moon sings." Meg has a dreamy faraway look etched on her face.

"Then the wind blows, and he strangles you until you black out." Squelch says and boops her nose.

"That's not who he really is. I know him. Anyway, we are over. I told you. He's my boss like everyone else here." Meg says.

"Just a normal boss? You still have your private apartment? I also saw him leave your very normal apartment two days ago."

"He just had some questions that's all," Meg plays with her hair and turns away from them.

"Questions that he couldn't ask in his office, like you know, any other employee?" Squlech pokes her.

"He was passing by anyway." Meg shrugs.

"He's not going to let you go for the same reason you can't." Gangle says.

"A sense of—"

"You're both shit at love." Squelch interrupts.

"He loves you to death, or he will. You know he can't do things normally! He probably thinks punching you is a lover's caress." Fleck really needs to slap Meg.

"Pray for Christine." Raoul rubs his face.

"Guys, I'm going out with someone else! I'm moving on with my life! I'm moving away from Erik, not towards him!"

"We support it and that's why we have Raoul as your chaperone." Fleck nods at him.

"Which is not—"

"It is!" They interrupt hotly.

"He's going to make sure you don't screw up and spend the night alone, by yourself, in your bed." Squelch wraps his arms around Raoul's shoulders and playfully shakes him as he speaks.

"Fine, but I am not happy about this!"

"Just so we're perfectly clear, you're not sitting with us when we eat." Meg says as they walk down the street.

"I'm going to sit next to you and cut up your steak. We'll practice, open wide for the train," Raoul moves his hands towards Meg's face, she bats at him with hands and hisses.

"Don't be weird." Meg pleads. Raoul has a hop to his step. He gets to be the weird one tonight and live a little.

"I'll be no weirder than you," he says, it does not reassure her.

"I like this guy." Meg points and they turn a corner.

"You don't know this guy. He met you while playing pool, that's already got some alarm bells." Raoul scoffs.

"You play pool now and you're noble and proper. He's a good boy too." Meg points and Raoul steps up, opens the door to the restaurant and let's Meg inside.

"We'll see, won't we?" Raoul says.

Levi has an everyman quality about him. He stands up to greet Meg, he kisses her cheek and then he fumbles a bit as he pulls out her chair. Meg is not used to this treatment. She is waiting for snarky comments and Meg expected him to pull the chair back, so she'd fall on her butt and embarrass herself.

He did not. She feels strange. She cannot quite place it. She smiles at Levi. Raoul pulls over a chair, much to the chagrin of the wait staff.

"This is Raoul, he's not here. Ignore him." Raoul extends his arm over the table, elbows Meg as he exaggerates his movements. Levi accepts the handshake and is not prepared when Raoul moved the hand up and down with more force than necessary.

"Do you work together?" Levi asks as he takes his seat.

"We have an act. How much money do you make?" Raoul leans forward and rests his head onto both palms. Meg kicks him under the table. He huffs, but ignores her otherwise.

"I-"

"Don't answer that. It's not our business. Raoul is from Paris, forgive him." Meg turns her head slowly to glare him.

"How often do you play pool and meet women?" Meg kicks Raoul again, harder, his face hits the table and she smiles in triumph.

"I don't usually." Levi is nervous and he has trouble keeping his hands still.

"Can you dance? Meg is a dancer, you have to dance if you want to keep her."

"I can, a little."

"Dance right now." Raoul is serious. He motions for Levi to get up. He does not, so Raoul stands up, and holds out his hand. Meg is tempted to throw things at Raoul's head. Levi looks to Meg and then back to Raoul and his hand, he tentatively takes it, Raoul roughly yanks him to his feet.

"Show us your moves."

"Here? Now?" Levi rubs the back of his neck. This is not at all what he had expected when he asked Meg out for dinner. Raoul crosses his arms.

"Here, now."

Levi moves awkwardly. He turns his body to the left, twists to right. He moves his hands. He takes step to the right, back and to left. He repeats this a few times. He looks at Raoul when he finishes.

"Her." Raoul nods behind him, and Levi turns.

"Is she afraid of spiders?" Raoul asks, and Meg repeats the question quietly confused.

"No?"

"False. The white ones. Hates them. Does Meg like elephants?"

"I don't know?" Levi looks at Meg for help.

"She doesn't either. Hm. Okay. You can sit with us." Raoul sits back down.

"This is been an interesting evening." Levi says.

"Yes, I'm sorry about him, Raoul." Meg brushes hair back behind her ear and tries to invoke the power of literature leading ladies.

"I would very much like to see you again."

Raoul steps in between them.

"I'm sure we could arrange something. We'll have our people contact yours." Raoul links arms with Meg and leads her away despite her protests, he waves farewell jovially.

"Ugh. I am going to need 45 minutes before we're best friends again." Meg removes her arm from him.

"Our friendship is God!" Raoul cries out