A/N: Hey! I hope nobody was too scared by the first chapter…This one is slightly saner. Don't forget to review!
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Tracy, Lolly, Nadir and Kay!Erik were silently eating dinner in Erik's lair/ house. The table was laden with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, coslaw, and rolls, ect.
"Pass the fried chicken," Tracy asks Kay!Erik.
"What's with all this American food?" Kay!Erik asks grumpily, handing Tracy the chicken.
Tracy shrugs. "It's Lolly's mind ask her."
Lolly glares at Tracy. "I'm not the one who wanted this food, you did."
"American freak," Kay!Erik mumbles.
Tracy rolls her eyes. "And you're not a freak? At least I'm an American freak not a freak of nature."
"You American's are so uncouth, unintelligent, and extremely immoral," Kay!Erik replies in an air of superiority.
"Your one to talk about morals," Tracy says snorting. "I don't watch people change from behind a mirror, kidnap people and keep them captive in my lair calling it love, trick people, kill people, or threaten people. Shall I continue?"
Lolly sensed another upcoming argument on the grounds of morality and sensibility. She quickly began to scarf down the food on her plate, in case the conversation was to get a little...heated.
"I grew up in a very uninspiring environment. I can't say the same for you Americans. It could be that my mother didn't love me. Or perhaps living in the back stabbing country of Persia? Perhaps my general alienation from society in general," Kay!Erik says scathingly.
"Maybe it's your attitude. You didn't have to go to Persia in the first place, and your mother did love you, as you would have found out if you had stayed an extra day, and if you want people to accept you, you might want to start by accepting yourself."
"You make me seem so petty. Truthfully, I could hardly care if my mother loved me. I admit that I find it amusing to kill and torture various humans who aren't worth my time to remember. Causing general chaos in an opera house is quite…invigorating." Kay!Erik trails off, a smile playing slightly on his face, as he looks back. "And if I get to kidnap a pretty soprano all the better," he says as an after thought.
"You are petty, and you just proved my point. You know, I really don't know why you weren't accepted. If you were maybe you wouldn't have so few morals," Tracy says thoughtfully.
"Neither do I. Maybe it's the fact that I lived in a day and age that would not have accepted me, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe it was from the fact that my mother should have accepted me from the beginning. Maybe it was because I felt that if none would accept me, there was no reason I should accept them. But that's just my opinion." Kay!Erik finishes shrugging. "Or maybe I found so little reason to seek acceptance in the world because you are all below me."
Tracy rolls her eyes. "Didn't I just prove we are all above you?"
"No. Your lack of intelligence, general low morals when it comes to intercourse/sex, your lack of drive to become more than what you are makes me above you." Kay!Erik pauses before continuing. "I find it amusing how so few great intelligences come from such mass populations. How you general ignore those of unfortunate status's, how you are so easy to judge those who you do not bother to know."
"First of all I only have low morals when it comes to you, because you are fictional, therefore it would be the safest sex possible. Secondly I have lots of drive to become more than I am. You, however, do not. You had so much to offer the world, but you preferred to sulk in self loathing under an opera house," Tracy replies angrily.
Kay!Erik, who is on a rant, continues. "I'm not just talking about you, I'm talking about Americans in general. And my life under an Opera House was very productive."
Tracy shrugs. "Oh yea life under the opera house was very productive. Tell me what did you accomplish?" She mocks interest.
"I don't know." Kay!Erik continues, as he sees Tracy stare at him. "It's never mentioned in any of the books. But do you seriously believe that I spent all my time doing nothing?"
"Not knowing what you accomplished proves another point. I don't believe you did nothing, however you did not contribute anything to society."
"Why would I want to contribute to the society that shunned me?" Kay!Erik asks indignantly. "Except causing general chaos. And I kept the Opera House running. Do you really believe any of those managers had any artistic sense?"
"Well they must have had some artistic sense. And you only accomplished running the opera house through threats and demands of money," Tracy said exasperatedly.
Kay!Erik smirked. "Like they would have listened to a ghost anyway. And how do you expect me to live without money?"
"Well," Tracy says faking a deep in thought look, "You could have gotten a JOB! You could have been the manager!"
"I won't even mention the absurdity of that suggestion."
Tracy rolls her eyes. "You worked in the real world more than once in your life, and if you know so much about art and music you could have been the manager."
"Cause it worked so well the first time," Kay!Erik says sarcastically.
Tracy starts getting really angry. "YOU messed it up! YOU let yourself become more powerful than the shah! YOU killed the architect's daughter! YOU worked as a magician, because YOU wanted to!"
Kay!Erik sighs. "Ah yes, those Rosy Hours. How I miss them so."
"Indeed," Nadir says raising his eyebrows. They sigh together.
"See it's YOUR fault," Tracy says.
Kay!Erik shrugs. "So? I'm a psycophant. I can't say I'm all right in the head."
"I think its just because of all the opium," Tracy says matter of factly.
"Is it now?" Kay!Erik replies in disinterest.
"Well part of it, the other part is the whole "my mother didn't love me thing" and the gypsies probably had a bad affect on you too."
"Gypsies." Kay!Erik says going into an evil homicidal rage.
Tracy sighs. "See."
Kay!Erik looks at her. "What?"
Tracy rolls her eyes again. "Nothing. Nadir you agree with me don't you?"
"And risk my life? Hardly. With intelligence comes self-preservation," Nadir replies knowingly.
Tracy sighs. "You know he won't kill you. Besides your immortal too. Your an original character."
"Doesn't mean I won't have a little fun torturing him. The fact that he can't die makes it all the easier. I don't have to worry about him croaking on me," Kay!Erik says with an evil glint in his eyes.
Tracy rolls her eyes for the hundredth time. "You know you would never hurt him, he's your best friend. You might threaten him however, but never hurt him."
Kay!Erik shrugs. "I killed his child."
"Yea because you liked the kid and couldn't stand to see him suffer. Anyway Nadir would have done it himself but he didn't have the guts to."
Kay!Erik turns away from Tracy disgusted. "Must you make me seem soft and cuddly?"
Tracy smiles. "You are deep down. Who cried because his mother wouldn't give him a kiss?"
"I hate you," Kay!Erik says glaring at her. He leaves the table to go sulk in the back of Lolly's mind.
"I think you act mean and murders to hide your insecurities," Tracy calls after him.
"GO HOME WENCH!" Kay!Erik calls from the recesses of Lolly's mind. Nadir and Lolly eye the food, wondering how long the table would remain, should the discussion become a little to vehement.
Tracy smirks. "Your just mad because what I'm saying is true."
"You shouldn't smirk. IT's very unbecoming on you," Kay!Erik answers, coming back to the table reluctantly.
"You're just avoiding the question." Tracy smirks again just to piss him off. "You know I'm right, admit it."
Kay!Erik glares at her. "I'll admit to being insecure, just because I'm only human, and we're all insecure. However, I will not say the cause."
Tracy pretends to look shocked. "You've admitted two things! That your insecure and that your human!"
"Only out of the subtle hope that it would make you shut up," Kay!Erik replies.
Tracy ignores him. "There is no specific cause there are many. Shall we discuss them? I'm enjoying analyzing you."
"Okay," Kay!Erik says hoping once they are finished she would shut up. "The source of my deep rooted trauma is: My face. Family troubles. Manipulation of other people. And gypsies." He goes into another homicidal rage.
Tracy shakes her head. "No, it's not your face. It's how people reacted to your face. But I agree with family problems, and your manipulation of people, specifically your mother. And of course the gypsies."
"I love manipulation!"
"That's the root of your problem," Tracy replies shaking her head.
Kay!Erik looks amused. "Is it now?"
"Maybe if you stopped manipulating people they would accept you," Tracy suggests.
Kay!Erik gave her a blank look. "Where's the fun in that?"
Tracy sighs. "My point proven."
"Somehow, with my face, even if I stopped manipulating, I still think there would be a bit of...tension... between me and general humanity."
"Yes," Tracy says agreeing. "At first, but gradually they would be able to see beyond your face."
At this point, Lolly face faults, and falls to the ground. Some how I doubt anyone could see beyond that face.
Kay!Erik looks at her angrily. "We're talking nineteenth century Europe. Devil incarnations, witchcraft, burning at the stake. Any of that ring a bell?"
"Yes, not once in the book did anyone call you the devil." Tracy looks thoughtful. "Except the gypsies, and they didn't really believe that it was just to attract people to come see you."
Kay!Erik stares at her. "You see too much in people."
"And you see too little," Tracy replies calmly.
"Call me shallow," Kay!Erik says dryly.
"Your not shallow though." Tracy says shaking her head. "I can easily see how you think to little of people, but you know there are some good ones out there."
"I'm sure they are," Kay!Erik confers. "Just they weren't anywhere near me."
"Yes they were: the architect, Madame Giry (well that was more Gerry and Crawford!Erik), Nadir, Christine, your mother (eventually), your mothers friend, wasn't there also a priest? Must I continue?" Tracy tilts her head smirking.
"And they all did me sooo much good," Kay!Erik replies sarcastically. "They saved my eternal soul, didn't they?"
Tracy sighs. "Didn't we already go into this? It was your fault."
Kay!Erik rolls his eyes. "If I said it's my fault, will you leave me alone? Isn't it your bedtime anyway?"
"Yes. However I never said it was entirely your fault, but it was mostly your fault."
"Alright, it's my fault," Kay!Erik says impatiently. "Now leave me alone."
"Fine. I will, but as Arnold says, "I'll be back"" Tracy grins.
"I could care less."
Tracy kisses him lightly on the lips. "Don't worry, I still love you, despite your flaws."
"What a surprise." Kay!Erik says dryly. "I don't love you. Sorry. After confessing my soul and all."
Tracy shrugs. "I can still hope. You still hope that Christine will love you."
"No. You can't relate my love for Christine with your "love" for me," Kay!Erik replies angrily.
"Why can't I?"
"Because Christine and I live in the same universe, and you do not. Because I actually loved her, and you've never truly met me, so you can't say the same."
Tracy raises her eyebrows. "Right. Well anyways, good night." She walks into her bedroom, and gets ready for bed.
Kay!Erik sighs, and turns to Lolly, who was buttering herself another, almost warm biscuit. "She can be so single-minded sometimes." he sighed. Recovering his own plate, he begins to pile the Not Quite Warm food onto it. Nadir helps himself to another spoonful of mash pototoes. Lolly ponders thoughfully.
"You have no idea."