A/N: Sorry it's been so long since the last update. School, the life I don't really have, and university level homework all kinda got in the way. I'll be a little more prompt with the next one. I promise.
Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant,
SP
Chapter 8: Propriety and Paradoxes
"Ready?" Erik asked, gripping the strings of C.C.'s corset.
"Ready." The Authoress affirmed as she gripped the edge of the swan bed, bracing herself for the bone crushing constriction. Without another word Erik yanked hard on the corset strings, bringing her waist in a great many inches. C.C. gasped and her eyes bulged. Her head began to swim, but as she reminded herself to take shallow breaths things began to return to normal. Silently she thanked god for all of the Renascence fairs she and mother worked during their summer holidays. She would never get used to a corset, but at least she came semi-prepared for the experience.
Deftly, Erik tied off the corset strings and tucked them inside the lacings. As her brain began to adjust to the oxygen depravation, C.C. began to wonder how exactly a man who'd spent almost his entire life underground was so skilled at lacing corsets. "How did you get so darn good at that?" she half asked half gasped.
"So good at what exactly?" Erik seemed honestly perplexed at her question. C.C. rolled her eyes. For being such a genius, the man could be quite dense at times.
"Standing behind people." she drawled sarcastically. Then she turned to face him. "I was referrin' to your amazing competency at lacing up women's corsets."
The Phantom rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously as he answered. "I used to have a friend I helped to dress on occasion."
It took less than a second for the Authoress's phangirl knowledge to attach a name and face to the comment. "Ohmigod!" she practically screamed, causing Erik to jump several feet in the air. "You were in the same room with a half naked Madame Giry!" Her eyes widened to an almost dangerous point. "More than once!"
"How do you know about her?" he growled as he searched her green eyes with his turquoise ones. C.C. was too excited to care and quickly brushed him off.
"Future, remember?" she shot quickly before returning to her regularly scheduled rant/interrogation. "You and. . . I always thought there was something more than they. . .Oh my goodness, did she. . .I mean, did y'all. . .?"
"No," Erik cut her off quickly, "whatever you are implying, no! She is a friend, that's all. Nothing more."
C.C. was not about to give that quickly. This was big. She'd seen some very slaughterous fights break out in chat rooms over this very subject. "But you saw her in nothing but her underwear?" she pressed.
"No! I mean, yes! I mean. . .Damn you!" he sputtered helplessly.
"Hey!" she snapped at him. "Watch your language! I don't wanna have to raise the rating!" Then returning to her former line of questioning, "So, you never actually did anythin'," C.C. paused to grin evilly, "but did you think about doing something?" She leaned toward him expectantly, looking frighteningly similar to a vulture peering expectantly at a quickly dying animal.
"I. . . That is none of your concern." he snarled, regaining his composed and chilling manner. "Now if you don't want your invitation to join me tonight to be revoked, I suggest you drop the topic."
That was the end of it. As much as C.C. wanted to push the issue and ferret out every juicy detail for future gossiping, she wanted to go out haunting more. Slipping her wraith costume over her arm, she began to dig advertently through her large pile of things her monk friend had brought for her. "I know that carnivalé mask has to be here somewhere! There's no way it didn't make the list."
"What list would that be?" Erik asked behind her. By now he ignored most of the girl's odd comments, but occasionally she still peaked his interest.
"Oh," she looked up from her fevered searching, "the list of things I'm gonna need while I'm staying here. I made it for Lo Whi before he came here."
Erik stared at her long and hard. As usual she was making no sense. "How exactly did you know what you would need before you even came here?"
"It's just one of those nifty little time-travelin' paradoxes." The Authoress explained. "Just accept it as fact. Don't try and fathom it. Don't try and deny it. Trust me, it's better that way. I know from experience."
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(Cue Flashback)
The Authoress had just tried to fathom the inner workings of The Terminator. It had led to much confusion and eventually a major cognitive meltdown. She then laid rolling on her floor clutching her head in agony and screaming loudly.
"I'm confuzzled and my brain hurts!" she wailed painfully to the universe.
(End Flashback)
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Erik stared at the girl for a moment with a baffled look on his face, but then decided to let it drop. Trying to understand anything about this curly haired little demoniac was more trouble than it was worth.
"Ah-ha!" C.C. Cried triumphantly as she pulled a small black hatbox from the mountain that was her possessions. Inside was a pretty little half mask that went across the eyes and nose. It was decorated with lacquered sheet music and then expertly painted with gold leafing. She held it up to the light allowing the man next to her to examine it.
"You're not wearing that." Erik stated bluntly, his eyes growing stormy as he gazed at the elaborate mask in the girls hand.
C.C. sighed and turned the mask over in her hand. "I'm afraid I am." she said softly but firmly. "It wouldn't do for half the opera house to see my face if something should happen. You all but said so yourself." The Phantom bit his bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment as he stared intently at absolutely nothing. She was right, but the sight of her little mask reflecting in the candle light seemed to tug violently at his chest. Sensing his unease, C.C. did her best to lighten the mood. "Hey," she said softly as she gave him a playful shove, "get out of here. Just in case I don't get to terrorize anyone I want to have someone to see the Opera's newest ghost make a grand entrance."
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Almost twenty minutes later Erik found himself pacing restlessly across the lair. What was taking her so long? Surely it could not take this long to change one's clothing. He was just about to storm into the back room and see what exactly it was that was holding her up when he heard the sound of the velvet curtains rustling as they were pushed aside. Turning to face her, Erik froze as he caught sight of her, he gaped openly as he stared at what considered a "Haunting Uniform".
Her clothing, if he dared call it that, made a complete mockery of modesty and propriety. Her dress consisted of nothing more than strategically placed strips of black velvet and wisps of red gauze. A single strip of fabric wrapped around her neck and tied at her throat served as a neckline, the ends meeting at the top of a tightly synched black bodice. The skirt was an absolute study of immodestly. Composed of loose strips of fabric that ended in jagged looking points along her thighs, overlapping just enough to not show what lie beneath as she moved. Clinging to her legs was some kind of mesh fabric he could not identify, the weave covered in what appeared to be random slashes. The outfit was topped with a thin crushed velvet cape that lay delicately across her shoulders, it was a deep red that matched the color of the dresses gauze wisps. Her mask glinted in the candlelight, the luminous gold made a striking image against her pale skin and long black curls.
"Well," she asked slyly, giving him a quick twirl, "what do you think?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What I think is that you won't be leaving this house wearing anything of that sort."
C.C. couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much you sounded like my mother just now? And might I ask, why exactly I won't be wearing this out of the house?" She was baiting him and he knew it, but he couldn't help but respond.
"Do you honestly think they will be frightened a woman dressed such as that. No one is going to pay a moments attention to whatever ever it is you might do, they'll be to busy staring at your. . ." he gestured emphatically at her person.
C.C. couldn't help but giggle. "Do you honestly think," she said between fits of laughter, "that the ballet girls are paying any attention to your threats when you're standing around in pants so tight I want to thud on the spot and then continuously do that heart stopping cape twirl? I'm sure that they're all swooning from, ehem, fear."
Again, Erik could only stare gaping at the girl as she fluffed her hair triumphantly and added another score to her tally. "Come on," she said, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and tugging him toward the lake, "rehearsals will be over soon and it'll be no fun to cause mayhem for an empty stage."
Erik consented to being dragged up until the point that they reached the wall near the portcullis. "You know I have other, more convenient exits." he informed her.
"I know, " she said off handedly, "but there is no way you're going to get out of taking me across that lake theme song style at least once. Now," her voice trailed off a bit as she searched the wall with both hands, "where exactly is the trigger for this thing."
Erik gave an exasperated sigh. "Perhaps the large switch over there." C.C. turned several shades of scarlet as she stated at mechanism from the famous lair scene. How could she have forgotten that? She grinned embarrassedly as he walked over and pulled the lever. As the portcullis began to rise Erik brushed past her and began to situate himself in the gondola.
From the shore the Authoress glared dangerously. "Aren't you going to help me in?"she asked acrimoniously.
"I hadn't planned on it, my dear."
For some reason the even manner of his reply managed to bother her more than the idea of having to scramble clumsily into the boat. Putting on a pout full of wide-eyed innocence she pulled out her trump card. "You know," she said innocently, "there are a whole lot of possible things that could happed right now, none of which have a particularly happy ending for you."
It took Erik a moment to comprehend her words. Suddenly his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you threatening me, girl?"
C.C. simply nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."
With a growl Erik climbed out of the gondola, grabbed the Authoress about the waist, and dumped her roughly into the boat. "There," he spat as he climbed back in, "you've been helped."
From her seat at the front of the craft C.C. huffed indignantly. "Well, are you at least gonna sing?"
"What?" he barked at her.
"Well," she explained, "every time you're in the gondola in the movie or the play you sing. I think there's no reason to break with tradition."
His voice took an a familiar menacing edge as he glared at her. "Careful, girl, there are a lot of possible things that could happen to you as well."
C.C.'s eyes widened. He had just delivered his first potentially credible threat to her. She made a mental note to examine her any food he gave her a little more closely from now on as she settled down for the trip across the lake.
Oh, well, her mental voice shot at her, at least he learning.
'Oh, do shut up.'
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A/N: It's kinda like the last chapter in the sense that nothing really happens, but I wanted to get to out there. I promise the next chapter will focus more on forwarding the there-is-no-plot line.
C.C.: Okay, the review replies. Ready, Erik?. . . Erik? -drags Muse!Erik out of his closet-
Muse!Erik: -grumbles something about punjabbing-
C.C.: Let's get started then!
Tathiela: Hmm... A hat made of tofu? -grabs a block of tofu and forms it roughly into a hat shape- Erik! Get over here! I need you to put this on your head and run around!
Muse!Erik: Over my dead body!
C.C.: -glares at him- That can be arranged you know!
Momnonomous: A tease? Me? Never! Right Erik?
Muse!Erik: -looks torn- If I call her a tease she'll say I'm playing with her and like it. If I don't call her a tease she'll think I'm agreeing with her and like it. I hate my life!
mrs. malfoy: I didn't say that there wouldn't be romance. Just that there wouldn't be romance with me.
Muse!Erik: -rolls eyes- Yes, don't worry, my dear. I will be forced to endure mindless fluff yet.
pixiestars162: I would have made this Erik fall in love with me, but two Eriks madly in love with me would be too much, even for a die hard phan like me.
Muse!Erik: What are you talking about? There's no way I'm. . .
C.C.: -shushes him and then puts an arm possessively around him- You can deny it, darling, but we all know the truth.