Hayley felt her eyes shift again to the ceiling, this was now the second time the opera ghost had come. Watching out of the corner of her eye as Christobal continued to scan the letter, curses starting under his breath, Hayley watched as another piece of paper came floating down towards her. Reaching for it, capturing it and reading the finely written, "Hayley" on the front, she slipped it into her pocket for later reading, returning her attentions to Christobal as he screamed at the ceiling,
"I am not afriad of you! Do you hear me Opera Ghost? Monsieur Phantom of the Opera. I DON'T fear you! I fear NO ONE!"
Turning on his heel, Christobal stormed from the spot, leaving Hayley, whom was once again looking into the rafters, hoping for a glimpse of the renowned Phantom, to run after him. Her heels making soft clack-clackings on the tiled floor. Catching up with Christobal, Hayley allowed him to lead her out the door, and help into a black, common carriage, her sliding softly across to the other side as Christobal slid in next to her. Ordering the driver back to his residence as Hayley turned to look at the Opera Populaire behind her. Her blue eyes watching as the opera house shrank smaller and into the distance as they rode into the busy streets of Paris, back towards life and warmth, her blue eyes returned to the pocket she had slipped the small scrap of paper into, longing to be back in the privacy of her room so that she could read what a Phantom would have to say to her.
Feeling Christobal reach over and place his hand on the top of her velvet covered leg, Hayley supressed a sigh, turning to look at him instead as he ran his other hand over her blonde curls and the curve of her cheek, his dark leather gloves soft against her skin. As the carriage pulled to a stop, Christobal pulled his hands away, moving instead to climb out as the driver opened the door, Christobal instead offering his hand to help Hayley out, as she pulled the velvets of her skirt around so as not to trip. Taking Christobal's gloved hand in her own, as she carefully climbed down the carriage steps and once again back up the stone steps, waiting as Christobal unlocked, then opened the heavy wooden door to his home, allowing Hayley enterance.
Following behind her, Christobal shut the door quickly, then grabbed Hayley by the middle, pinning her to the wall, as he kissed her roughly, running his hand over her thigh, grabbing savagely at the delicate material, quickly pulling the dress up, running his hands over her bear skin as it was exposed, running his hands higher and higher, feeling Hayley squirm lightly at his touch. As he continued to pull at her clothing, the scrap of elegant paper flew from her pocket, causing Christobal to quickly pull himself off Hayley, stooping for the letter as Hayley struggled to replace her clothes in some form of a respectable manner, watching as Christobal ripped through the smiling skull, dropping it to the floor and crunching it under his heavy boot. His eyes roved the letter, then they took on a glint that frightened Hayley, Christobal looked up and flashed the young woman a very cold smile, placing the paper into his pocket.
-
Erik was settled at his desk, quickly working on a broken componant to one of the many mirrors that he would open throughout the opera house. A disgarded jacket was thrown over the back of a chair, his mask placed slightly esque across the bust head. Deciding earlier that he had his work cut out for him by the ill repair of his many opera house traps, he had started with the smaller mirror switches, one that now with a final clink, turned slightly in his palm, as a smile crossed the Phantom's unmasked face. It worked. Moving to place it amoung the others in a huge pile, Erik stretched out his cramped muscles, looking quickly up at the clock, only slightly surprised that he had worked through the entire night.
The clock moved to chime eight in the morning, and as he rolled his neck around in an attempt to roll out the tension from being hunched over, Erik tried to decide if he should get some sleep, or return topside to see what else needed to be finished when a series of loud clanges and voices came from above. The Phantom's dark eyes quickly shot up towards the ceiling above his cavern, feeling his mucsles all tighten quickly once again. Apparently Hayley had been correct when she said that the good Monsieur would be taking over the opera house. The repairs seemed to have been started right away.
Growling in his throat, Erik quickly moved to pull on his disgarded jacket and mask, swipping the disgarded switches into his arm as he quickly moved from his underground liar towards the boat that would take him into the tunnels to replace the fixed switches.
Throwing the switches into the floor of the boat, Erik quickly climbed in, humming a soft tune to himself as he paddled along, musing over in his mind what else would need to be fixed. Loosing himself in thought, Erik mentally cursed himself for loosing focus as the boat scrapped against the opposite shore. Climbing out and reaching into the bottom to pull the disgarded parts from the boat, Erik then quickly moved up the stairs and back into the main tunnels inside the opera house.
-
Hayley was bored. She had been sitting in the same chair for hours, her chin resting in her hand, contemplating the events of the preious night and morning. After spending a sleepless night tossing in her bed, praying that Christobal would not come that night to finish what he had started that afternoon, then climbing out as the sun rose and her maids came in with a warm bath and a sharp word that Christobal wanted her downstairs in thirty minutes, dressed to leave for the Opera Populaire.
After relaxing the bath for as long as she dare, Hayley quickly pulled herself from the water, moving quickly over to her waredrobe to find something suitable to wear, as her maids re-entered, draining the tub, and grabbing the comestics and hair necessities from the vanity table. Helping Hayley pull her corset tight, the dressing maid, Georgette, pulled a fabulous purple and black gown over Hayley's thick mass of blonde curls, lacing the back and sitting the young woman on the edge of the vanity bench so the other maids could work.
An endless confection of powder, pins and silk later, Hayley quickly descended the steps from her room into the front marble foyer of Christobal's elegant house. Christobal turned when he heard Hayley's heels lightly clicking upon the danity floor, her black fur capelet in hand as she drew near enough to turn and offer him her back so that he could dress her for the fall cold of the morning. After placing the capelet on Hayley's shoulders, Christobal rested his hands on her shoulders for a moment, turning her fully around to face him, never moving his hands, his dark eyes boring into her blue ones as he reach around and tied the capelet's lavender bow, offering his arm to the young woman as he lead her out the door. After stopping to lock the large ornate lock, Christobal then turned to where his carriage was sitting on the curb, the footman jumping to his post, opening the door for the couple.
Christobal stood on the side of the door, holding it open for Hayley as he took her free hand, helping her into the carriage, then climbing in himself, slidding next to her as she she arranged her gown to prevent from ruining it. Christobal bellowed for the driver to take them with all possible haste to the Opera Populaire, and then reclined back, one arm rest around Hayley's shoulders. Holding her with his vice gripe, reminding her of her predicament.
Struggling to get her mind off the man who sat next to her, Hayley couldn't help but watch her thoughts wander to the events of the day before, the mysterious notes, sounds and then...somewhere hiding, was a man for whom she should fear, and yet, she felt unafriad of the man whom had not shown himself.
Feeling the carriage pull to a stop, Hayley's eyes flew to the window, surprised to find herself outside the charred door of the opera house, and Christobal climbing out of the carriage, offering his hand to help Hayley climb from the carriage.