"So, what's happening?"
Reyer is pretty sure that at this point, they should add a table and chairs to the utility closet, and an espresso machine. This room is used so often now, they might as well decorate it and truly use it as their safe talking crisis space.
"I may have agreed to cohabitate with Erik." Raoul rubs his face.
"And you changed your mind?" Reyer is calculating the budget for the coming year, what they would need to switch so they could afford the table, chairs, and espresso machine for this space.
"I don't think I was sober enough to really know what I was doing." Raoul says though his hands, he feels so stupid. He whines.
"You were drunk. He asked you when you were drunk." Reyer pulls a face. Raoul nods.
"Tell him you were drunk, and you didn't know what was happening. You don't have to move in if you don't want to."
Raoul whines and groans some more. He hangs his head. He does not wanna.
"If you don't want to live with him, you have to tell him." Reyer is using his manger voice.
Raoul shakes his head and whimpers.
"Raoul, if you're afraid of your romantic lead, then you need to really evaluate your relationship and ask yourself, are you happy? Is this healthy? Is this what I want?"
Raoul closes his eyes and bites his upper lip. Reyer is right. He is always right. Raoul pouts.
"Can I text," Reyer boos, and Raoul sighs," I think a text," Reyer errs," fine. I'll a send note!" Reyer slaps Raoul.
"You know what you have to do."
"Mm. Lick rust!" Raoul makes a childish face.
"Oh, suck a duck and talk to your boyfriend."
-
Raoul decides to try to clear his mind and watches the rehearsals. The ballet is particularly interesting that day, considering Antoinette Giry is chasing a man he does not know with her cane.
"These are professional dancers, not whores. I will bleed you!" Toni shrieks. The pitiful creature runs past Raoul and out of the theater. The ballet rats gathered.
"Antoinette, what's up?" Raoul asks.
"Some fool thought that my dancers were prostitutes. And did I tell you, you were taking a break!" Toni uses her cane with full force and the dancers spread a part and begin to practice their dance.
"How many years of ballet have you've taken? It looks like the combination is a year! Not acceptable! "Toni strides over to her dancers. Reyer comes out holding a binder.
"You have an hour and then I want to see the ballet," Reyer announces, he reads something and goes backstage.
"You heard him, one hour!"
"So, everyone is busy, so I'm going go now," Raoul says to no one and points behind him.
"Raoul!"
"Christine."
They stand and stare at each other and the ground. Raoul rubs the back of his neck and Christine rubs her hands nervously.
"So, um. I did not mean anything, when I. I um. Ha," Christine trails off awkwardly. She turns her head to the side, unable to look at him.
"Nothing happened, so there's no reason to," Raoul sighs and he pulls at his hair.
"Right," Christine says, still not quite able to meet his gaze.
"It's a weird moment between friends!" Raoul laughs and Christine nods, her cheeks flushing a bit.
"Yes, just a, awkward handshake, but with my mouth," Christine closes her eyes in embarrassment and groans.
"Exactly!" Raoul laughs forcefully.
They each make their excuses and go off in different directions.
Raoul eeps when he enters his office. Toni and Meg are waiting for him.
"Hello," He feels very unsure and he does not take his eyes off of them as he goes to desk and sits down.
"We're going to lunch."
"Oh?" Raoul asks, Meg and Toni nod.
"He asked you to move in," Toni drawls, she is trying to speak slowly, plainly and it is hurting. Raoul nods, he was able to pick the place to dine at and he chose the closest pizza place.
"I may have been a bit inebriated when he asked? And I do not remember having control over my brain or mouth, words just kept coming out of me." Raoul picks at his pizza. Meg is just chilling and enjoying the French fries.
Toni is looking grave today. Toni stares into her salad. She frowns and pokes at the vegetables.
"He has a power, he can hypnotize you, have you do things, control you," Toni speaks softly, she does not look at Raoul as she speaks, her shoulders are hunched, she is not the prime, proper, confidant ballet mistress of the Opera Populaire, but a defeated woman, a sad, downtrodden creature who has seen too much.
"Do you want to move in?" Meg asks, she munches on fries and is unfazed by her mother's affect and words.
"At the time I wanted nothing more." Raoul slides the food away from him.
"Give it a trial run, a week. See if you are happy, that it is what you want. Don't write it off," Toni strength is slowly coming back.
"Our place is awesome, we have a home cinema and junk," Meg is cheerful. Raoul nods.
"This is your room," Toni nods. Raoul walks forward, Meg jumps from the hallway.
"It's next to mine, it'll be fun, we can have walkie talkies and send and set up coded messages, like spies," Meg gives him a thumbs up.
"Meg, set up a movie for us, your choice, we'll join you in a minute." Meg does not need to be told twice and skips off. Toni enters and shuts the door behind her.
"Have you read it?" Her voice a harsh whisper, she is wringing her hands together, she looks around the room, her eyes darting to different spaced and objects.
"The diary? Yeah, I haven't finished. I have it in my bag." Raoul shakes it and Toni hisses.
"Don't leave that out in the open, he cannot know you have it or are reading it. I thought when we left France, I would leave his ghost." Toni traces her fingertips against the dresser.
"You're like him, you don't do things you don't want to do and challenge. Denny did that often. It took Erik a long time to strip him of his defenses, to wear him down, control him, own him. Much longer than the others, or me," Toni bites her finger.
"That's ominous."
"It's truth."
"I don't want that."
Raoul sits on the bed.
"He calls you Leto."
Raoul nods.
"He calls you Nettles."
"Don't you see? Don't understand?" Toni laughs bitterly, she turns to Raoul, who is confused.
"He took away your name."