Masked Grace: Heh, you quote movies? I can quote the entire Pirates of the Carribean script! And Phantom of course
Pertie: Thankyou my dear, but I still need your info I'm afraid, come on, give it up
Cap'n Meg: Thanks, don't worry your definitely in the cameo
Asingledarkcrimsonrose: Thankyou so much!
Spunky-hyper-girl: accepts cookies Yum! Thankyou and welcome! Fop Voodoo dolls are by the mirror entrance, if you want to be in the DBCA, details, please
Blaze-Logan Lover: Same as Pertie, details, please
Lady Assassin Moonbeam: Thankyou, thankyou, and ta on detailly things
Sapphire-aria: Welcome (are you new? I cant keep track sometimes, too many simultaneous fics) Glad your loving it!
Muirgen258: Great! Hi! Star Wars! Yes, sorry, one place only, can I give you a lightsabre instead of a sword? I kinda think it would be fun!
IflyNAVY: I love it too!
Authouress: Heh love that pun, I'm evil
Erik: And sick
Authoress: That too
A strange, tense silence descended over the house by the lake for the next four days as neither Erik nor Adriana spoke. Not a note was played or sung by the Phantom, and his companion neither hummed, nor whistled, nor did she act out parts from Macbeth, as she had been doing for the past week. Indeed it appeared as though two ghosts inhabited the house, and the only way to bring them back to life was if one was to speak. Erik thought she wanted an apology, which his pride would not permit him, and Adriana merely waited for him to speak at all.
Do you know what its like to go for four days without speech, dear reader? Not a word to pass one's lips as the wait grows longer and longer. Neither stayed in the same room as the other for any length of time. If Adriana was in a room Erik entered, he would either exit immediately, or if some business needed to be attended to, he would go about it as quickly as possible, then leave. If Adriana entered a room occupied by Erik however, her pace was unhurried, calm. If he was in the study, the kitchen, or the main room, she would even curl up on a chair and dip her nose into a book or fill the air with scribbling as she recorded poems and original fiction. Erik could last about half an hour of her cat like confidence, waltzing in wherever she pleased and curling up where she liked, before he would storm out, never quite slamming the door to let on how confused and frustrated he really was.
Each time one of these encounters occurred, Adriana would have to hide a smirk. If Erik thought he could outlast her in a waiting game, he had a long time to go. She was by nature a withdrawn person, hyperactive and rather strange on occasion, yes, and with a disturbing tendency to have a complete lack of fear when it came to any dare, of course, but when left alone, she was quiet, even her face and manner fell into her, while she daydreamed the hours away, recording her musings in her notebook.
When the crunch came, it wasn't a word that was spoken to break the silence, but a gasp.
Erik had been in the kitchen, drinking from a large glass, his head full of questions and unplayed melodies, when Adriana slipped in, probably with the intent of finding something to eat as she worked. Erik half turned to see if it was Ayesha that had entered, he jumped as a pale arm snaked its way under his to reach for a discarded spoon left lying on the sink. With his sudden movement, the slippery glass fell from his long-fingered hand to shatter onto the floor, sending shards of glass everywhere on the tiled floor. Adriana gasped and out of instinct, almost jumped backwards, an action that would most assuredly have had disastrous results if it had been carried out as she was barefoot and would have certainly landed on a translucent dagger of melted sand. She saved herself by grabbing the marble bench with one hand and clutching Erik's lean arm with the other. She teetered precariously on the balls of her feet, not daring to set her heels down, and looked up Erik.
"Are you alright?" he asked quickly, the words slipping out before he could stop them. She glared up at him in response.
"Bloody brilliant Erik, well done," these words were spoken in a low rough tone, but her eyes softened at the sound of his voice and the worried look in his golden eyes. His voice, roughened by a lack of use for the past few days, was still heartbreakingly beautiful.
"I'll clean it up," he offered, stepping back, Adriana gasped again and let go of the bench to grab his other arm. "No you bloody well wont," she growled, stretching her neck back to look at him, her awkward position dictated that her nose was equal only to about the top of his heart, looking all the world like one of those little girl kissing dolls, the ones that stretched out to their suitors and held a posy of flowers behind their backs. (Or just like Carlotta and Christine when their hiding behind the fan in Il Muto, or maybe those Anne Geddes pictures, whichever image works best). The blonde locks of silky straight hair that refused to keep a single curl bar one tiny wisp fell about her face and her grey eyes gazed up at him pleadingly. She looked, Erik had to admit, absolutely adorable with her lower lip sticking out like that. A smile flickered near to his mask and he lifted her easily onto the bench in one swift movement, she squeaked in surprise and held his shoulders tightly. Erik looked at her, secretly amused, "It appears, mademoiselle, that you are making a habit of finding yourself in compromising positions."
She grinned cheekily at him, "I know," she replied glibly, "Terrible, isn't it?"
"Don't tempt me," the Phantom warned, fingers tightening slightly on her waist, she raised her eyebrows, "Bit late for that now, wouldn't you think?" Abruptly, Erik released her and pushed himself away, shoes crunching on the broken glass, but he chuckled anyway. Adriana laughed and folded her arms, kicking her heels against the cupboards, her dark blue skirt was pinned around her knees and it rustled and glinted with specks of glass and she moved. Erik rolled his eyes and turned away to get out the broom, it hadn't occurred to him to carry Adriana from the room, a fact she had noticed immediately, a smirk twisted her lips triumphantly, which Erik did not see as he swept up the glass before her. He turned to catch up the rest of the shards with the bristles of his broom and noticed a drop of blood on the marbled tiles. "Are you bleeding?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Adriana, she frowned at the spot of red, "That's not mine…" she looked down at her feet, "Oh wait, it is."
"Let me see," Erik leant the broom against the small table and bent to inspect her foot. "How can you not have noticed this?" he asked, taking her long, and slightly dirty foot in his slim fingers, a half inch piece of glass was embedded in her foot, allowing a trail of sticky red blood to drip down the arch of her foot and onto the floor, above him, Adriana shrugged. "My brother's guitar case, with the guitar itself inside, fell on my foot, one crazy before school morning and broke one of the bones, that part's been numb ever since." (That did actually happen, my dear readers, the guitar, not the glass, the morning of the first day of Grease camp, it was an electric guitar and it bloody well caned!)
"Painful," Erik noted, taking hold of the shard carefully, with a slight twist he removed the sliver, Adriana shuddered, watching the process with a kind of sick fascination. "You aren't repulsed by blood?" Erik asked, shifting to kneel as he drew out a white hankerchief, he dipped it in a bowl of water from the sink and gently wiped away the already congealing blood. Adriana gave a short laugh, as Erik turned her foot, "Yes, slight vampire fixation there, I'm afraid."
"Really?"
Erik looked up at her as she leaned over the side of the bench, hands
placed on either side of her to examine the damage. "It's the
fangs," she explained apologetically, "Gets me every time."
Erik processed this carefully, unsure of the faintly dreamy,
almost seduced look in her eyes, instead, he ran a light hand down
the arch of her foot, pressing gently to check for any other
invisible specks of glass. Adriana flinched her toes away in
response, "Hey!" she exclaimed sharply, "That tickles!"
"Really?" Erik repeated, letting the word slide over his tongue like rich wine, Adriana shivered slightly, "Don't even think about it Erik." She warned, "I don't like being tickled and I have a tendency to draw blood when I am."
"Are you sure that's not just your vampire fascination coming through?" Erik teased, she grinned at him wickedly, allowing her canines to show. "No," she answered, "If it was that, I'd bite you, I use my nails more often when I'm attacked."
"I'll keep that in mind," Erik replied, returning her grin, he tied a brief knot with his handkerchief over the wound and stood, brushing dust off his trousers, "That should take care of it." He said.
"Thankyou," she replied smiling, Erik smiled back, nothing else needed to be said.
Ooh! This is torture for you, isn't it? So much sexual tension! As Masked Grace said to me, Erik really needs to get laid. I agree, but you have to wait (ha, ha) and I don't (hee hee) Cos I have stuff prewritten on my comp! (Mwahahahaha) in the meantime, if you're so desperate, take a squiz at "What Sweet Seduction" cos a) its good. b) I want reviews there, and c) You're in it, yes, you! Oh hell, just get there would you? Erik awaits…