Let's all get Drunk…
and Apparently Brandy and I have Magical Powers
>
I clapped my hands together. "Well, let's all get back inside, shall we?"
A cheer greeted these words as the assembled crowd walked back into the Laundromat. Brandy held back, along with Erik and our Goblin King.
"I see we have yet another guest," I said, motioning to the King.
"Unannounced, of course," Brandy answered.
"Of course."
Brandy spied the boxes of assorted alcohol stacked on the back of the carriage. "I see the party is going to get a little crazier. Want some help?"
"No, I think I have it." I turned to face the boxes. Lifting my hand, I started to mutter.
Brandy raised a hand to block Erik, who had started towards me. "No, she's stubborn. Give her a minute to beg."
Sweat started to bead on my forehead as the boxes rose in the air.
My face contorted.
"Alright… HELP!"
Brandy raised a hand and started the chant back up as the boxes shuddered in the air, the glass inside tinkling.
Erik stared, jaw slack, at the spectacle before him. As the boxes slowly faded away (later to re-appear inside the Laundromat,) we lowered our hands and walked inside.
As the doors opened, happily confused chatter greeted us. Compared to the silence of the night, it was deafening to me. Glancing at Brandy, I jumped onto the countertop with a flourish of my cape.
"Friends and Fellow Phans, I bid you welcome… (pause) … again. Please, help yourselves to refreshment. It has been provided for you pleasure. We have two new guests to finish out the interview. Then we shall see where the night takes us." I bowed yet again and resumed the interviews.
"Since Lady Tolwen has only one question, we shall begin with her... Lady." I bowed.
With a slight nod of her head, the Lady looked to Erik. "Erik, do you like English tea or Russian tea better and why?"
"Russian; I find English tea to be colorless and boring, while the Russian has a life more suited to my tastes." Erik met the Phan's steady gaze.
Her olive skin tinted the slightest pink and she turned her eyes away.
Brandy took the microphone. "And now for Stalker. I only hope for her sake it isn't Erik Stalker."
Stalker looked at Brandy defiantly. "As a matter of fact, I am Vampire Stalker."
"Oh… then that's okay. Continue."
Stalker rolled her eyes and looked to Erik.
"Ok, for my first question… Since you've been a few places before you settled into Paris, what were some of your favorite countries/places you've been and why?"
"I do believe my favorite city is Paris, hence why I came to settle here. It has the culture I crave and is home to my beloved Opera House. As for places I have visited, I enjoyed each of them in their own way; but I believe Persia is my favorite, I learned many skills there that I have found very useful."
Stalker nodded in agreement, "Alright… fair enough. Next, some girls are obsessive stalkers and tend to follow and touch you a lot. You seem to put up a front that you hate it but do you ever actually enjoy the Phans?"
"In general, I do not enjoy being a sex symbol for my Phans. I have made connections with a select few of my Phans; typically, the ones who could maintain a calm and collected aura about themselves."
(A/N: I sincerely hope that was the "enjoyment" you were hinting at.)
"Third and final question then. If you hadn't been through all the troubles of life, because of your looks, and people accepted you as a normal person; would you still be the same person you are or would you be someone else?"
Erik sat a moment in thought. "I do believe I would be someone else with an entirely different past. For is it not the environment that makes the personality? Had I not been born with a hideous face I could have felt the joy of a mother's love, I would not have been exiled and ridiculed, and I would never have lived beneath the Opera House. I would have experienced a different view on life and do believe I would have been a completely different person." He smiled a charismatic half-smile. "Luckily for you all, I was born this way and did experience my life as I did.
(A/N: I hope that was a suitably impressive answer… I just finished a semester of Psych and that was about all I learned. Oh, and I felt bad because the answers were kinda starting to suck... or so I think.)
Stalker sat back, her curiosity seemingly sated. Megan was taking notes as she had been all night, and the other Phans were pondering over what they had recently learned from Erik.
Brandy walked up to the stage. I stared at her in shock because I hadn't noticed her leaving. She carried a tray full of tall glasses, each with an amber liquid inside. She passed the drinks around the circle. "Now, no drinking yet. We have to make a toast."
Everyone tool their glass from the tray. We're gonna go with the extra Phans just magically ending up with a glass… yeah, that's it… magic… (shifty eyes.)
Brandy took the microphone and holding her glass aloft said, "Alright everyone… To Erik, for spending his night here answering our questions."
Everyone's glass was in the air. The air rang with voices. "To Erik."
Everyone took a drink from the glasses. Brandy managed to down her glass, I took a small drink and winced as the bitter liquid flowed over my tongue, Kalyn didn't even taste the beer, instead she sat it down and ignored it. I looked around and chuckled as a few faces took on a greenish tint. Mine and Brandy's eyes landed on Erik at the same time.
He had matched Brandy, drinking the entire glassful in a single gulp. He held out the empty cup. "Another, please."
Brandy and I looked at each other, knowing that the evening would be getting very interesting… very soon. I ran to the back and grabbed a case and a cooler. I didn't want to miss a minute.
This looks like a perfect place to leave off.
>glances at the page count
THREE! Dammit…
(shifty eyes then thinking)
They'll hunt me down and torture me if I leave it here… Sol will even make me into El Foppo's nursemaid if I don't come up with a decent chapter.
Must… continue…writing… GAH!
Alright… you guys win…
Not the End…
Here goes nothin'
I poured Erik another beer. Brandy stood on the stage, "And now, at this point, we will be taking questions from the audience."
I turned and looked out over the audience.
Nothing.
"Hm… apparently our guests covered all bases." I whispered to Brandy.
She looked at me, "Apparently."
Slowly a hand came up in the back of the room. "Please, I have a question," a timid voice said.
"Your name, friend," I said.
"Morgan," came the answer.
"Well, Morgan," Brandy answered, "What be your question?" (A/N: I sense a pirate moment coming on.)
Morgan pushed her way through the crowd to be heard better. Leaving a wake of angered Phans that she didn't even notice, she stared at Erik. "Please, I have to know…"
Erik set aside his cell phone symphony. "Yes, dear, what is it you wish to know?"
Morgan's eyes dropped to the floor. "I need to know why you ever loved Christine?"
Erik stared hard at the Phan. Then his gaze slipped away. His eyes found me in my Phantom costume, then Brandy, and finally the glass of beer. He drained it quickly before answering. "I cannot tell you exactly why I loved her. I can only tell you this; when you love someone, you know it deeply and completely. You can never choose where your heart will love." (A/N: I only answer that way because it is the way I feel about someone... don't ask, cause I ain't tellin'.)
I turned away from the group and cast a glance out at the darkened street. I grabbed my beer and slammed it back.
Erik had swallowed his third beer and was composing again.
Brandy was still standing on the counter, quite a few beer bottles at her feet. "Well," she said, without the slightest trace of a slur (A/N: which I will forever hate her for… that girl can slam 'em back with no thought of hangover or anything.) "Are there any more questions that we would wish to ask of our dear Erik? "Looking around, she saw no other hands raised, "Alright then, let's get this party back into swing."
I climbed onto the stage, already tripping slightly over my cape, and pulled Kalyn up after me.
I stole the microphone. "I took the li-li-li-li- freedom of repla-la-lacing the Hot Purses… nonono… Pockets (yeah that's it) with something less… less…less…" I turned to Kalyn. "What was I saying? Why am I up here?"
(A/N: I get philosophical when I get drunk.)
Kalyn rolled her eyes. "You are Songé. You threw this party (no one has any idea why.) You were making an announcement about the food. Now let's go contemplate the dust bunnies under the vending machine." She took me by the arm and gently led me away.
>
Alright, I have gotta leave off here…
If I get to much farther I am gonna wind up getting into Drunken Erik time and I have yet to find a good reason to get him drunk…
Although Morgan's question was a good start (much thanks.)
I am gonna take some time to answer some reviews… Mind you, if you don't read the reviews then little of this will make sense.
To Eriksleadinglady (Nicole) It is real… I do have Erik trapped in my Laundromat… and I do this kind of thing all the time… oO … and thanks we liked the idea too
And don't Miss Brandy be talkin' out her rear? She hasn't locked anyone up nor has she grounded anyone. I am not tryin' to make her a fop… I can't help some personalities.
Now for Emily's Singing Relfection. Yes, all they want is chop sticks… the eating kind, not the hair kind.
Anything is possible if you believe enough (but my suggestion would be to read the manual well, Brandy and I set a few on a friend of ours unintentionally and we have on just reined them in.)
Yes, Brandy raped him; but we have a saying here at the Laundromat… "You can't rape the willing." And if Erik wasn't willing I don't think anything would happen.
You can trust me here… any duel Brandy is in she will win it. We have had many… I have never won and I am a trained fighter.
NO, Erik has not escaped… he rather likes it here with us.
And, yes, there are male Phantom Phans… although they were mainly modeled after a friend of mine from school.
Finally, yes, males are on I have seen their accounts… although to my knowledge none of them read my work (if they do then they have never responded.)
One last thing, I read your profile and was so excited to see that you were from Dublin… if you have Instant Messenger (of the AOL or Yahoo variety) then you should message me (mithralas2931, in both cases) if not email is great (mithralas2931at would so love to hear what Ireland is really like… see I am part Irish (it's my favorite part of my heritage) and I have always wanted to visit.
To Megan, The pen IS mightier than the sword; but then again, why leave doubt… bring on the bazookas! Tanks, too, if you can get 'em.
Alright, not really much more to answer so I am leaving a few requests… if you want a more specific part then review and let me know… I want to keep working with the extra characters, but don't really know where to take the characters.
As usual I am open to you IM'ing me and talking about ideas.
I guess that's all I have to say… Aside from sorry that these last couple have been kinda slipshod work… We're gonna kick it up a notch… BAM!
And that is the last time I quote Emeril… oO
Thanks for reading…