Authoress: OK, I heard a rumour on the grape vine that review replies are a sudden no-no on this site, why escapes me as I would not have many friendships I now cherish had I not replied to my reviewers, (ducks mods glare) but as we are getting to a point I know you would all prefer not to be interrupted by a posting block, I will merely say a resounding "HUZZAH!" to you all, and hand out 67 chocolate ripple cakes to party with and thankyou forever and ever for your reviews, this is no reason to stop reviewing, you are keeping my on the verge of sanity during a time when I really need all the encouragement I can get. Thankyou to you all, I love you!
Erik: Are you feeling alright? That sounded almost sane for you.
Authoress: Marginally, this is the only chapter that currently needs to make sense so I will remain slightly coherent…at least until I get my hands on some more sugar. (is swept up into Erik's arms to watch the proceedings)
"What are you doing here Nadir?" she heard Erik's voice ask,
"I needed to find you," a rich accent replied.
"So you've found me, now what?"
"There is trouble brewing,"
"There is always trouble brewing, what has it got to do with me?"
"Someone is killing off the lower streets, and they're wearing your mask to do so, and using your lasso."
"You accuse me!"
"I had hoped not to, but if it is not you, it is someone playing copycat, and that is far more dangerous."
"But you still thought it might have been I?" Erik demanded angrily.
"Oh dear," Adriana muttered, recognising his tone of voice. Quickly she grabbed an orange sash and wrapped it around her waist, and stepped out the door to catch her first glimpse of the Persian.
He was shorter than Erik, and dressed in rich robes of wine coloured silk, he had his arms spread in a gesture of supplication or damnation, Erik towered over him, his face contorted in fury.
"That's enough!" Adriana snapped, "Both of you!"
Erik and the daroga turned to stare at her. She stalked over to them and looked up at them both. "When did these murders occur?" she demanded, Nadir looked at Erik, raising his eyebrows, Erik gazed back at him, Adriana saw a silent battle of wills fight it out over a space of two seconds, then Nadir's shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned back to Adriana.
"Mademoiselle," he inclined his head politely, "over the past three weeks, there has been one every three or four nights."
"Right," Adriana murmured, frowning. Then her eyes widened, "Jack the Ripper!"
(Please note, I have no idea how close these two episodes actually take place and I know Red Jack did not use a lasso, but I'm poetic licensing, so just bear with me…Red Jack, Red Death, Red Jack, Red Death…hmm, sorry, just struck me as an interesting point)
"Who?" Nadir asked,
"Jack the Ripper, a criminal mastermind who attacks women from the lower streets and removes certain parts of their anatomy, leaving certain items strategically placed in a pentagram star. He was in London, he must have moved on." (I've watched From Hell far too many times).
"You appear know more than the police mademoiselle…" he trailed off, glancing at Erik.
"Adriana," they supplied at the same time.
"Well mademoiselle, where did you hear this information…your work colleagues perhaps?" the daroga replied guardedly, Adriana's eyes clouded slightly, but Erik catching the implication, swung around and caught his friends wine coloured vest, "You think so low of me daroga, that I would stoop to street whores?" he demanded in fury, shoving Nadir against the wall. "This woman is worth a thousand of them!" Adriana laid one small hand on his arm, "Put him down, Erik" she sighed, the Phantom glared into Nadir's eyes for a moment longer, then dropped him and stepped back. Adriana took his place, staring the daroga in his jade eyes, "While I can see where you're coming from, Monsieur Khan," she said calmly, she slapped him, "That was completely uncalled for and extremely insulting."
Nadir touched a hand to his injured cheek, then looked at Adriana, deliberately ignoring Erik's amused gaze, "Where did you hear this?" he asked, she shrugged in reply, "I listen to the ballet rats gossip between pranks." She answered.
"Between pranks?" Nadir echoed, clearly startled, Adriana shrugged. Erik drew her back from the daroga, not taking his eyes of Nadir as he wordlessly stripped off his damp jacket and handed it to her, not trusting himself to stare at her for too long. Adriana accepted it and tossed it casually around her shoulders, looking all the world, Nadir noted, like she was used to being down here. "May I present my apprentice," Erik purred, giving Adriana a mocking bow, "Mademoiselle Adriana, the Theatre Wraith." Adriana swept the overlong jacket back in a swirling salute to the daroga.
"An honour to meet you monsieur," she fluttered in a very good impersonation of a gossiping socialite. Nadir's eyes flickered from her to Erik, then back again, "Apprentice?" he asked, dumbfounded, "But…"
"But what?" Adriana rolled her eyes, "But Erik has a friend, or but I'm a girl?"
"Hardly a girl, by the looks of things," Nadir muttered, out of the corner of his eye he saw Erik go bright red, and heard Adriana's snort of smothered laughter.
"I can assure you daroga, that nothing of the sort has happened between myself and my pupil," Erik stuttered, trying to regain his composure.
"Yet," Adriana muttered, smirking as both Erik and Nadir went red.
"So, uh, you are sure you know nothing of these murders?" he asked, feeling the sooner he escaped from here the better. Erik nodded in reply, telling Nadir with his eyes that it was time to go. "One day, mankind will look back and say that I gave birth to the twentieth century." Adriana said thoughtfully, both men looked at her in surprise. "Its what he said," she answered their unnerved expressions, "Or something like that anyway, might have been the twenty-first."
"How did you know that?" Nadir demanded, Erik and Adriana shared an amused glance, "You wouldn't believe her even if she told you, daroga," Erik rolled his eyes, and ushering the confused Persian to the pier.
"But…"
"But nothing Nadir, scat" Adriana laughed, Nadir looked at her wildly, she sighed, "Very well, I'm from Australia if you must know, about one hundred and thirty odd years into the future, I had no life and I read a lot, during one evening in my miserably uninteresting existence, I found the mirror in my house and came through, happy?"
Erik gave a short laugh, at Nadir's pained expression, "Tell the police they must search again, daroga, for this is not the work of a ghost."
"But will you help?" Nadir asked shrewdly, Erik looked at Adriana who nodded, "If you wish it," he replied, he looked down at himself, still dripping slightly onto the stone floors, "Now if you'll excuse me, I might just go find some dry clothes," he gave another short bow and crossed the room to enter his own coffin filled bedroom. Staring after Erik's retreating back, Nadir turned to Adriana.
"Mademoiselle," he murmured, "I do not know who you are, nor do I understand the relationship you share with Erik, but I would warn you to be cautious, for your safety, if nothing else."
"I thank you for your concern Nadir," Adriana replied, "I would not have Erik's friend think ill of me, but I reside here willingly with Erik, and fled the safety of a complacent life to be with him," she gave a small whimsical laugh, "I do fear I have ever been seduced by the longings for a life far more interesting than my own," she paused and looked directly at the daroga, "I'm not another Christine, daroga, but I care for Erik in my own right, and what hurts I have borne for him, I have done so out of love, and if I risk danger to be with him, I do so willingly, even if he does not return my affection."
"Then I wish you luck," Nadir stepped into the gondola and took up the oars, Adriana grinned cheekily, "Save your luck for Erik, M. Kahn, he needs it far more than I do."
Authoress: This wouldn't be the beginning of a plot in this little phic of mine…would it?