"Blech! Erik! You BURNED the toast!" Christine spat out a mouthful of
black, crusty bread onto the side of her plate, wiping her tongue on her
napkin. "Well, at least we know something you're not good at," Christine
chirped humorously as the Phantom bit into his toast as well with a hard
crunch.
"Christine, dear, you must know I haven't any practice," Erik replied seriously.
"You're so stiff," Christine commented, nudging him. "Do you realize that in my presence, you haven't said anything lightly yet?"
"I don't have much of a sense of humor," Erik said shortly.
"Oh, yes you do!" Christine protested, "You're very sarcastic! And you can't have sarcasm without a little bit of humor!"
"This is quite an interesting conversation, isn't it?" Erik remarked, taking a sip of water.
"You see," Christine said with a broad smile on her face, "You're sarcastic and you don't even know it!"
There was silence.
"This IS interesting," Christine sighed boredly. Then she perked up. "You know what? I like magicians - always fun to watch.. how come you've never showed me any magic tricks? You said you've been a magician before, can you do a trick for me?"
"As you wish..." Erik said, clearing his throat and drawing a coin from his pocket. "Watch the coin," he told Christine, curling the coin in his fist. "It's in my right hand... now it's in my left hand," Erik said, touching his right hand with his left, but now kept both hands curled in fists. "Now.. it's back in my right hand," he said, opening his palm for Christine.
After watching intently, Christine burst out laughing. "Ha! So you DO have a sense of humor! No, I mean, show me a REAL trick!"
"I did," Erik smiled slyly, gesturing for the girl to look down, and in her lap was the coin, which had just disappeared from his hand.
Christine clapped with glee. "Bravo, Erik! That was amazing!"
The Phantom gave an amused smirk as Christine asked for an encore like an excited child. So for the remainder of breakfast, (their toast forgotten), Erik performed magic tricks, all of which Christine loved very much.
"For my final trick, I need a volunteer," Erik said, scanning across his audience of one person, who was frantically waving her arms back and forth.
"Pick me, Erik!" Christine laughed.
"The gorgeous young lady in the front row," he said, holding out his hand for her to accompany him on the 'stage' which was really the cleared space made by moving the table.
Christine pulled herself from the chair she was sitting in, a smile spread across her face.
"Now, I need you to stand right here, straight and tall - that's it - and-"
BAM BAM BAM!
Erik was interrupted by a loud banging on the door of his hidden house.
"Christine, wait here, I will go find out who needs me so insistently," Erik said, leaving her to prance back to the kitchen table to get a drink of water.
The door was rapped on once again, when Erik flung it open. And standing in the wide, open space, was someone Erik never thought he'd see underneath the Opera ever again... Taken aback, Erik spoke.
"Daroga! What are YOU doing here?" Erik asked, half annoyed, half humored.
"Erik," he talked very fast and urgently, "I don't care what you think, you just can't go overreacting about something - I know it's none of my business, but-"
"What's all this, Daroga? You're stumbling over your words like a madman, now calm down!" Erik interrupted.
"Are you feeling all right?" The Persian asked, sounding troubled, and squirming around uncomfortably.
"Of course, I am very well," Erik said.
"But you - and -" The Persian tried to say, but right then, Christine came up behind Erik.
"Who is it, Erik?" She asked, then spotting the Persian. "Oh, hello!"
And suddenly, it dawned on the Daroga.
"Mademoiselle!" The Persian shouted with much passion, making both Christine and Erik jump. "HOW WONDERFUL!"
"Nadir, calm down - I'm beginning to wonder if YOU are all right," Erik sighed watching as the Daroga hopped around in joy.
"I can't help it, Erik! Seeing you two together is more happiness than I thought I'd ever feel again!" Nadir commented. Then he became serious. "She did come on her own, didn't she?"
"Of course she did, Nadir!" Erik hissed as the Persian began to bounce around again.
"Ooh, Erik and Mademoiselle Daae! Would never have guessed.." Nadir sighed again.
"I beg your pardon, Persian," a voice echoed from behind Erik and Christine, "But I believe she is MADAME Christine de Chagny."
All three of them whirled around to face the owner of the voice, and there stood Raoul, his gun pointed at Erik, ready to fire.
"Christine, dear, you must know I haven't any practice," Erik replied seriously.
"You're so stiff," Christine commented, nudging him. "Do you realize that in my presence, you haven't said anything lightly yet?"
"I don't have much of a sense of humor," Erik said shortly.
"Oh, yes you do!" Christine protested, "You're very sarcastic! And you can't have sarcasm without a little bit of humor!"
"This is quite an interesting conversation, isn't it?" Erik remarked, taking a sip of water.
"You see," Christine said with a broad smile on her face, "You're sarcastic and you don't even know it!"
There was silence.
"This IS interesting," Christine sighed boredly. Then she perked up. "You know what? I like magicians - always fun to watch.. how come you've never showed me any magic tricks? You said you've been a magician before, can you do a trick for me?"
"As you wish..." Erik said, clearing his throat and drawing a coin from his pocket. "Watch the coin," he told Christine, curling the coin in his fist. "It's in my right hand... now it's in my left hand," Erik said, touching his right hand with his left, but now kept both hands curled in fists. "Now.. it's back in my right hand," he said, opening his palm for Christine.
After watching intently, Christine burst out laughing. "Ha! So you DO have a sense of humor! No, I mean, show me a REAL trick!"
"I did," Erik smiled slyly, gesturing for the girl to look down, and in her lap was the coin, which had just disappeared from his hand.
Christine clapped with glee. "Bravo, Erik! That was amazing!"
The Phantom gave an amused smirk as Christine asked for an encore like an excited child. So for the remainder of breakfast, (their toast forgotten), Erik performed magic tricks, all of which Christine loved very much.
"For my final trick, I need a volunteer," Erik said, scanning across his audience of one person, who was frantically waving her arms back and forth.
"Pick me, Erik!" Christine laughed.
"The gorgeous young lady in the front row," he said, holding out his hand for her to accompany him on the 'stage' which was really the cleared space made by moving the table.
Christine pulled herself from the chair she was sitting in, a smile spread across her face.
"Now, I need you to stand right here, straight and tall - that's it - and-"
BAM BAM BAM!
Erik was interrupted by a loud banging on the door of his hidden house.
"Christine, wait here, I will go find out who needs me so insistently," Erik said, leaving her to prance back to the kitchen table to get a drink of water.
The door was rapped on once again, when Erik flung it open. And standing in the wide, open space, was someone Erik never thought he'd see underneath the Opera ever again... Taken aback, Erik spoke.
"Daroga! What are YOU doing here?" Erik asked, half annoyed, half humored.
"Erik," he talked very fast and urgently, "I don't care what you think, you just can't go overreacting about something - I know it's none of my business, but-"
"What's all this, Daroga? You're stumbling over your words like a madman, now calm down!" Erik interrupted.
"Are you feeling all right?" The Persian asked, sounding troubled, and squirming around uncomfortably.
"Of course, I am very well," Erik said.
"But you - and -" The Persian tried to say, but right then, Christine came up behind Erik.
"Who is it, Erik?" She asked, then spotting the Persian. "Oh, hello!"
And suddenly, it dawned on the Daroga.
"Mademoiselle!" The Persian shouted with much passion, making both Christine and Erik jump. "HOW WONDERFUL!"
"Nadir, calm down - I'm beginning to wonder if YOU are all right," Erik sighed watching as the Daroga hopped around in joy.
"I can't help it, Erik! Seeing you two together is more happiness than I thought I'd ever feel again!" Nadir commented. Then he became serious. "She did come on her own, didn't she?"
"Of course she did, Nadir!" Erik hissed as the Persian began to bounce around again.
"Ooh, Erik and Mademoiselle Daae! Would never have guessed.." Nadir sighed again.
"I beg your pardon, Persian," a voice echoed from behind Erik and Christine, "But I believe she is MADAME Christine de Chagny."
All three of them whirled around to face the owner of the voice, and there stood Raoul, his gun pointed at Erik, ready to fire.