Raoul walks into the couple, not walks by or bumps into them, no he makes the conscious effort to walk into them. They bounce, they are separated by him. The man pushes and curses Raoul, the lady is stunned, her feathers are ruffled, and she is panicked from the shock of it.
Raoul ignores the man; he goes to the corner of the street and turns. The man continues to spit venom as he collects his lady, and they walk in the opposite direction.
"It's better," Meg says as she appears by his side, "but it's not great. You keep making such intense contact. It's subtle, like you are brushing against them, caressing them," Meg holds up a gold watch, Raoul takes it and puts it back on his wrist.
"More practice," Raoul groans, he glares ahead, Meg rubs his back comfortingly.
"We'll get there, Rally Lou, we'll get there."
"I want to be so good; I can relive him of his burdens." Raoul narrows his eyes; he speaks low and with purpose.
"I almost got Erik," Meg says cheerfully," I slipped my hand into his pocket, he grabs my wrist, caught! I panicked, so I kissed him, take the watch, he throws me against the wall, grabs my hips and lifts me up," Raoul coughs and glares," and that's the day I got my private apartment!"
"I'm not going to do any of that," Raoul is grumpy.
"Are you going to see Guswus today? You know, your son? That you have?" Meg asks, Raoul nods.
"I'm taking him to an opera," Meg boos and errs," you danced for the opera," Raoul reminds her.
"He's a boy! He wants to play in the mud and get weird with his bros, not sit down and listen to people cry in German, or whatever." Meg laughs.
"Guswus, plays the piano, and loves going to the opera, he wanted to go to productions Christine wasn't in," Raoul flicks his fingers at Meg.
"Why. You know what, I need to save this child. He has years to grow into that personality, but tonight, he shall be but a boy!"
Christine looks outside at the commotion, Gustave slips through, it's Raoul and Meg, they are talking loudly as they come to the suite. Christine agreed that Raoul could take their son out tonight.
"Christine already agreed to this," Raoul says, he loses his ability to speak, when he sees his love is out and watching him and Meg. Gustave greets them both happily. Meg ignores that noise, steps up and says,
"Guswus, do you want to go to the opera, or get weird with your aunt Meg and play in the mud?"
Gustave thinks hard about this, he offers a parry,
"Can you teach me how to relive people of burdens?"
"No!" Raoul says, Christine does not know what that means, "Yes!" Meg says and Gustave runs to her, Meg does the victory pose, Raoul shakes his head and rubs his face.
"Loser!" Meg points and jumps at Raoul.
"Now you see this pencil. I'm going to make it disappear, hey Raoul, need you to look down a bit," Meg puts her hand on the back of his head, he grabs it.
"That's not magic, that's blinding someone." Raoul hisses, he points at his son, who taking everything they are saying in.
"It's not magic? It works when Erik does it," Meg feigns confusion.
"Meg." Raoul uses his serious voice and Meg sighs.
"Floor is lava, we could play that," Meg, Raoul and Gustave prepare.
"Fleck, what are you doing!? You're in the lava!" Fleck is very confused, she entered the building and now the floor is lava? Gangle, Squelch, Raoul and Meg, and Gustave are all on chairs and turned over tables screaming at her to get off the floor.
"She's dying!" Gustave cries, he bites his hand, and he is about to cry. Fleck looks around, she tries to find a surface.
"Pillows?" Meg picks up a pillow from the chair is standing on and throws it on the ground, Fleck, stands on it, trying to keep both feet on it.
"Temporary platform! You have to get something fast" Raoul shouts. Fleck tries to find something, she doesn't know what to do where to go. Erik enters and the whole room changes.
"Lava! You're gonna die," Gustave cries, and the others mumble agreement. Erik turns to the boy, if Erik has any redeeming quality, it is that he loves children, he loves to make them smile, make them happy, make them toys, he really does want a family.
"Well, as many of you like to call me and think I don't know, that you refer to me as a dragon, dragons are immune to fire, and lava. I'm fine." Erik says kindly, as kindly as Erik can be.
Gustave points madly at Erik and turns to Fleck, "you can use him, you can use him and you won't die! Dragons fly! Climb him!"
"Yeah, Irene, climb Erik," Meg bites her lips to keep from cackling. Meg's eyes widen, Erik is suddenly at her side, and leans into her, " we were discussing your contract," Meg swallows back her desire, Erik is wearing the mask she made him, and he's is dangerously close to her.
Seeing his opportunity, Raoul moves forward as slyly as he can be, he does his best to be subtle, reaches it and out and he's about to turn, when his wrist is caught.
"That was misguided, I did not think I would have to tell you to not try and steal from me," Erik's turned his attentions to Raoul, who shrugs.
"Misdirection." Raoul says, he nods behind him, Erik turns slowly, Meg holds up her prize, his pocket watch, the same one she has been trying to take for seven years, she smiles stupid before she runs.