Author's Note: I am soooo sorry. Here I was, all set to update more often, and I got lazy. Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers, and I really hope I can work more on this story. To make up for my lack of length and updates (and quality if I'm honest) I'm posting two chapters today.
Chapter 10: A Question of How
Erik simply stared as Raoul leapt from his arms, obviously not as shocked as he had assumed. He tried to make sense of what Raoul was saying; which seemed to fit thanks, apologies, and rather foul language concerning mannequins into one miraculous sentence. He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and quickly turned his stare into an icy glare. Angry at himself for losing his concentration for even a moment, he turned; making sure his robes flared elegantly, as was fitting for a phantom. He stalked to his organ and started playing as if nothing had happened, making it Raoul's turn to stare. Any uncomfortable silence there might have been was prevented by the haunting melodies he produced, and soon the tension eased. Thus, the day passed only mildly eventfully.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
It had been three days since Raoul's encounter with the mannequin, making it two since they had spoken. As Erik pondered this, he wondered when the man-boy!- had become 'Raoul.' It didn't matter anyway, as Erik didn't need to worry about slipping up if they did not speak. At any rate, after the incident Raoul had been less eager to explore; something Erik was eternally grateful for. In its place, singing had become his source of amusement- whenever Erik was out or he thought he wasn't listening. Therefore, Erik only caught brief notes before Raoul became aware of his presence. The potential of his voice only added to the chaos that was Erik's mind. As he tended to be a bit, eccentric, when a thought entered his head, it was damn near impossible to get it out. And now his traitorous head had decided to teach Raoul to sing.
Now there was only the matter of how.